Maelstrom Among the Elements
by TheAmateurAJ
Summary: Ending the Fourth Shinobi World War, Uzumaki Naruto awakens in a new world in confusion. With no way of getting back to the Elemental Nations and a new destiny laid before him, he must help his newfound friends and family to save the world from the Fire Nation. Strong/Rinnegan/EMS Naruto. Narutox? Harem? M for safety
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: A New Beginning

**AN: Hello there! I'm AJ and this is the first time I attempted to write anything without the reason being an assignment for school. I've been reading fics for a couple of years now and just decided to take a shot at it with the hopes that I don't fail **_**too **_**badly. Well, I doubt you're interested in this so I'll just proceed with the chapter. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Avatar: The Last Airbender**

Azure eyes fluttered open to the unfamiliar terrain. They slowly moved from left to right with nothing but white to be presented within his field of vision. His visible and calm breaths being the only sound to hit his ears along with a quiet breeze that tickled his tan skin.

_'Where am I?' _He thought as he blinked away what remaining blurriness that was obscuring his sight.

That was when he registered the cold embrace surrounding his prone form.

_'Snow?' _He thought as his gloved hands gripped a handful of said substance and let go after a few moments. His mind, while still hazy, was able to think back to the mission he undertook in Yuki no Kuni otherwise formerly known as the Land of Snow before becoming Haru no Kuni when the country's snow melted from discovered heat generators and an eternal sunshine blanketed its lands.

That was one hell of mission in his opinion and was certainly something that helped fuel the fires of his determination to become stronger in order to protect his precious people. Those chakra armored shinobi were definitely no joke and...

...wait...

A endless amount of his thoughts started crashing together in the depths of his mind.

_'Shinobi...fighting...biju...akatsuki...Jubi...Madara-'_

"Oh shit!" He exclaimed as he suddenly rose into a sitting position knocking off the snow upon his torso and arms before wincing as the soreness throughout his body made itself known. He stretched his arms and felt the ache that shot from his shoulders down to his wrists. That's when he noticed the minor cuts and bruises along his forearms, but saw that whatever wounds that they used to be were nothing more than the small marks they currently were and could only assume the same could be said about the rest of his body._'Good old regeneration,' _he thought as he sighed before getting back to the situation at hand.

His eyes frantically looked around as he was trying to come to terms of where exactly he was at. _'Snow...snow...oh look...more snow...' _He thought bitterly as his mind was working in a frenzy.

"OK, get your shit together and try to understand what happened," he quietly said to himself while lightly slapping his whiskered cheeks to clear his thoughts. He proceeded to comb his hand through his spiky sun-kissed blonde hair as bits of more snow fell to the ground. "Alright, the Jubi was absorbed into Madara...shit hit the fan...again...and-" his voice suddenly became a coughing fit as a snowflake floated into his mouth.

_'What the hell?!' _He coughed and spat to the side as he was trying to get the nasty taste that attacked his tongue. _'Since when do snowflakes taste like that?!'_

After quickly regaining his bearings, he looked up into the grey sky as a most unusual force of nature was occurring. _'Black snow?' _Indeed there were dots of black falling onto the white surface and mixed in giving the surrounding area a slight feeling of bad foreboding.

Putting his task of figuring out how his current location aside, he enhanced his senses with his chakra to find any sort of activity that would lead to this strange phenomenon or to just find any source of life. Closing his eyes as he focused, he picked up a decent amount of muffled shouting to his left, along with plenty of energy signatures that can't _quite _be classified as chakra, but still similar nonetheless.

He groggily got up to his feet and proceeded to walk at a slow pace with a 'crunch' being made with every step. He wasn't quite sure if there was an emergency situation occurring, but even with the desire to get to the unknown location quickly, his body just didn't want to cooperate as it seemed his energy was running low. He just had to deal with his slow pace and hope for the best. _'Please let everything be okay; just one day of peace isn't too much to ask for, is it?'_

Oh if only he knew where his life was heading to now...

* * *

**Southern Water Tribe**

There was panic everywhere in the fairly sized and normally peaceful community of the Southern Water Tribe. People were running around for cover with hopes of not being a prime target of the invaders with their unforgiving and merciless flames that didn't seem to ever end.

Sure, there were those that fought back with whatever tools they could get their hands such as clubs mostly found within the grasp of their warriors or even the spears normally used for fishing rather than fighting. However, it seemed as all of their efforts were for naught as the armored clad firebenders pushed forward with nothing but a successful mission on their minds and promised terror held within their eyes through red masks covering the upper portion of their faces.

It was at this sight where a cute little eight-year-old girl with light brown skin, dark brown hair, and bright blue eyes was running around frantically with an objective that she couldn't afford to fail. Her well-known hair 'loopies' swaying in the air as her terrified visage looked around for the person she desperately needed.

After a few more moments of searching, she found her desired target and quickly ran up to him. Right before she made herself known the man threw a firebender into a nearby pile of snow and currently held a face that showed that he experienced many battles before. He looked as he always did with his light brown skin, chin length brown hair and a small _wolf _tail tied behind his head. A heavy blue coat protected him from the cold much like her own. Two longer strands of hair each held by a single blue bead swayed next to his right cheek and bearded jawline as he followed through with the takedown of the before mentioned firebender.

This man is known as chief Hakoda and is a strong warrior and the village leader as shown by his title. However, to a couple of small children he is known as...

"Dad! Dad!" Hakoda quickly looked up to his young daughter on a small ridge with fear shown in her eyes. "Please! I think mom is in trouble! There's a man in our house!"

"Kya!" Hakoda yelled in worry as he instantly started at a dead sprint towards his home with Katara not far behind. They passed various tents and igloos that had been damaged by fights around them. Explosive fire support shot from a distance on the other side of the defensive wall surrounding the village and impacted in random parts of the community. One could easily guess that it all came from their ships with the bird clad flag representing the Southern Raiders. However, none of the chaos surrounding the pair mattered as the only goal in their sights is securing the safety of their beloved wife/mother.

They soon came upon their modest igloo and quickly pushed the tarp acting as a door out of the way...but it was already too late. The various sets of furniture, clothing, and miscellaneous items inside were in disarray as if they were either destroyed or knocked around to enforce fear for the lone occupant inside.

Katara and her father didn't have to wait even a second before their eyes glanced upon the prone, unmoving form of Kya in the middle of the floor. For the longest time in their perspective, they just simply stared. Various emotions exploded in their blue eyes with neither moving an inch and stood frozen as if they experienced the coldest winter yet. Moisture built up at the corners of their eyes before tears fell freely down their cheeks before dripping to the ground. As the first tear from Katara made contact with the floor, she snapped out of her trance upon hearing the very quiet 'drip', and ran to her mother with a choked sob and yelled "mom!"

* * *

**On a hill overlooking the back of the village**

The blonde finally managed to make it where the commotion was at, albeit slowly and with a small limp. Once he reached the top of the ash covered hill he was standing on, he just stood still. The sight of fire raining down upon the frightened, defenseless people made his thoughts run at a mile a minute. _'Who are all these people and who is attacking them?'_

He got his answer when a few similarly dressed men came around a few burnt tents. He first noticed their black and red cloak-like armor which just seemed as only being a way to keep warm instead of protecting their bodies from potential attacks. Although it did look pretty reinforced and could keep more thin armor underneath. Their helmets were mostly black and round with a red mask covering their foreheads, eyes, and the sides of their heads. It gave them a bird-like appearance with the mask looking similar to wings. Their mouths, however, remained unprotected. The last part of their outfit was the black pants with pointy boots that reached below their knees and matched the color scheme of their torso.

What really brought attention to them was the prepared balls of fire surrounding their hands. They then launched the fire at multiple tents and igloos behind the escaping villagers and prepared more for their next attack.

_'No hand signs?' _The man mentally asked himself as he watched more homes and equipment being set ablaze. _'I got to do something!' _However, any plan of stopping them halted as he heard the distant orders to retreat. He scoffed in irritation and decided to find a way past the wall. As he was about walk down the hill his foot went into a small hole that was a _tad _too deep and lost his balance. The result...a violently cursing blonde man as he rolled down the unforgiving white fluffy surface. What made his stumble more interesting was that his voice was muffled every other second. It would have been humorous in a way if not for the dreadful atmosphere radiating in the air.

Once he was given mercy by reaching the bottom he let out a strained "damn it..."

As he pulled himself from the snow for the second time that day he noticed a hole in the surrounding wall, most likely caused from the long range fire support from the ships that were currently leaving the village's shores. He slowly made his way through the recently melted wall and took in his surroundings.

Fear and destruction...that's basically all he could pick up from the people and the environment itself. Homes were destroyed, people were trying to get the injured treatment, it was just a chaotic site in front of him.

It took a little time to take in as much as he could stand before proceeding forward at a slow pace while slowly looking around. The people took notice of him after a little bit and instantly became cautious. He couldn't blame them especially after this attack and he was also a complete stranger to everyone with unknown intentions.

As he walked by he heard the people mutter and whisper things like "Who is that?" and "Is he with the Fire Nation?" Once that was uttered, they all looked like they were either ready to run or fight at an instant. He could only hope no one saw him as an immediate threat to be taken care of.

It was at that thought that he heard the crying shouts of a child and the muffled voice of a man from a nearby igloo that managed to stay intact. Despite his better judgement to not intrude since it seemed all the fire wielding men were gone, he made his way towards the tarped entrance. As he stopped in front of it he heard a the child's voice again. "We have to get her help dad!" She said in between sobs, "She won't last much longer!"

The blonde heard an exhausted sigh escape the lips of who he now knew to be the girl's father. "Katara...I... I don't..."

"You don't what?" She said meekly as if afraid to hear what he was trying to say.

The whiskered man then slightly pushed the tarp ajar to let him get a small peek inside without alerting them of his presence. As he looked on he saw the girl named Katara standing in front of her father while behind him was obviously the unmoving woman they were fretting about. He couldn't see much of her, but he saw a few burned fragments of clothing with blood on them and other drops on the floor.

_'Oh no...' _

Hakoda dropped in front of Katara on his right knee while gently grabbing her shoulders and looking at her with similar red, puffy eyes. "Sweetie...listen to me," her attention was entirely focused on his grief stricken eyes, "Y-your mother...is...is at peace now...she's not hurting anymore," he sorrowfully said as he slightly shook his head to hold back surfacing tears. He had to be strong for his daughter.

Katara didn't respond at first as she stared at him unable to fully process what she was just told. It seemed like an eternity until the tears and sobs came back full force as her father held her in a tight embrace with her face in the crook of his neck. He then let a couple streams of water escape his eyes as well while they were tightly closed.

The whiskered blonde felt his heart ache at the scene. Even though he's seen numerous deaths throughout his career, he couldn't entirely ignore them or he really couldn't entirely see himself as a sane person. He _especially_ couldn't fend off the sadness taking over his emotions when he just witnessed an innocent child experience a horror such as this. Even with the lack of a constant parental figure in his life, he understood the pain of losing loved ones. The pain will always be there, no matter how much one comes to terms with it or how much time passes. This had to be learned the hard way...

_'I should've gotten here sooner! I could've at least had an attempt to help her!' _Despite this family being complete strangers in an unknown place, he couldn't help but feel a tiny bit frustrated at what he could have done. Others would simply console with him and say that it wasn't his fault and he couldn't control the situation. He, however, would say otherwise. He was a an awesome shinobi damn it! He had the right potential, skills and, hell, he fought through all the obstacles set in front of him and accomplished what everyone deemed impossible for him!

He even made a supposed murderous and heartless missing-nin bawl his eyes out after a few passionate words. Who the hell can say they did the same?!

He didn't know if it was because of his risingly heating thoughts, but there was a tiny nudging at the back of his conscience telling him to go inside. Of course he started to resist that idea, but he always followed his instincts and he's done well so far, right?!

...Even though it wasn't _exactly _his plan to find himself in a completely unknown village among a type of populous he hasn't seen before...almost completely drained of energy...sore...completely unprepared for any sudden confrontation...you get the point!

He just had to find reassurance in knowing that his trusty gut was always there when his life depended on it.

With a bated breath he hesitantly pushed the tarp out of the way and stepped inside. He didn't really get much farther than that with his hesitance keeping him unmoving as he awkwardly stood there trying to decide if going inside would accomplish anything and if he should escape quickly. _'What the hell am I doing?! Can't I see there is nothing left that I can do for her?! What am I supposed to say? Oh sorry your loved one died and I'm interrupting this emotional moment, but I offer my condolences and please completely disregard I'm a total stranger and you don't know how I got here. Yup...absolutely smooooth,' _he thought sarcastically.

Either fortunately or unfortunately, his presence was detected and he froze where he stood like a deer caught in the headlights.

Hakoda stiffened as his eyes shot open and took in the stranger standing in front of him. He stood at a height of an even six feet and his spiky blonde hair certainly stood out with two long bangs framing the sides of his face stopping at his chin. He doubted he's seen even a few if _any_ people at all with that hair color. It's like it was being constantly hugged by the sun! However, it seemed slightly tainted with sweat and grime as if he just got done with fighting someone or going through some sort of rigorous training.

His eyes then caught his attention as they were like deep pools of blue not unlike his daughter, but they had a certain... allure about them. He knew a hardened warrior when he saw one, especially if you got a good look in their eyes, despite the current panic showcasing itself within his dialating pupils. This individual has certainly seen and experienced the worst things this world had to offer. This gave him all the more reason to defend himself and Katara at a moment's notice. There was, however, a sense of understanding and remorse. Regardless, he will remain on guard. He wasn't going to lose anyone else!

As he observed the rest of his face he saw something very unusual. _'Are those whiskers?" _Indeed there were three whisker marks on each cheek. The only explanation he could come up with is that they were tattoos or a birthmark, but how are these types of birthmarks possible?

He then took in his clothing which have definitely seen better days. His red haori with black flames lining the bottom and edges of its short sleeves were dirtied and damaged. A long sleeved black shirt with a single dark orange stripe traveled from his wrist to shoulder, then went down his sides, had holes and tears where it was visible and over that was a black flak jacket with many useful pockets. What caught his eye on it was a rectangular piece of metal that held a symbol he hasn't seen before. It seemed important as he noticed it was placed over the man's heart. Upon his hands were fingerless black gloves and they each held the same symbolized metal that seemed to be used for protection and enhancing punches. Although his left hand held the same symbol that was on his chest while the right had a swirl instead. None of this was able to hide that the man had a lean but muscular frame that seemed useful for speed.

He also adorned black cargo pants taped at his ankles while they were tucked into black combat boots. A pouch was attached to his right thigh to hold items for quick access and he could barely see what seemed to be a larger pouch held at the back of his hip. Just like the clothing on his upper body, they were all scruffled and could use some repairs. The only piece of clothing that wasn't visible was the necklace holding a special green crystal tucked into his shirt.

After Hakoda's observation was done he abruptly stood up alerting Katara of the the mysterious man's appearance.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?!" Hakoda demanded as he held Katara behind him.

"I...uh..." He was simply at a loss for words and started to fidget on the spot.

Katara then peeked around her father's leg and got a good look at the man intruding in her home. Who was he? Where did he come from? He obviously wasn't from their tribe. _'Is that fire on his clothing? Fire Nation?' _At that thought she slightly moved back into her father's guard and gripped his pants tighter.

"It...it's just," he continued as glanced at Kya. "I'm lost right now and just felt...I don't know." He nervously rubbed the back of his head and averted his gaze from the chief and made contact with the sad and afraid blue orbs of Katara. He sent an apologetic look towards her and let out a exasperated sigh. "I'm sorry for what happened to your mother; she didn't deserve this."

While this may have put the pair at ease, even just a little bit, Hakoda narrowed his eyes, "You still didn't answer my question." He leered threatingly.

"Look," the stranger spoke again, "I have no idea how I got here or what's going on, but I felt that-" There! There was that nudging again! What does this mean? Was he supposed to do something?

He stopped speaking upon this feeling and only further made the pair curious and cautious. He looked at them, then at Kya and the mysterious feeling came back stronger. In fact, the longer he stared at her still body the stronger the nudges became and without realizing it, he was walking towards her.

Hakoda immediately got ready for a fight, "Get back or-" He and Katara suddenly gasped confusing the blonde.

He was trying to understand what was wrong until he felt it. His chakra was blazing right now! He doubted it was visible, but the aura resonating from him could be felt all around. There were even other nearby tribesmen that suddenly froze trying to process the overwhelming power they sensed.

With Hakoda being frozen and unable to react further, the stranger continued his walk and passed the duo and stood in front of Kya. He didn't know why he walked up to her. His body just moved on his own as if on autopilot. He simply stared down at her with complete silence. An unknown amount of time passed before the power rose in intensity and he could have sworn there was an audible 'humm' in the air; like a small vibration.

Then when it couldn't get any more strange, his eyes...just seemed to have all the mysterious power escaping from them. Words started to scratch at his mind, but they weren't clear enough to understand. They kept repeating and repeating as his gaze hardened on the Water Tribe woman.

...That's when it happened...

Without warning and no control over his own body the man yelled...

**"Gedo: Rinne Tensei no Jutsu!"**

Before anyone knew what was happening something amazing occurred. Kya's body was illuminated in a magnificent blue and lit up the igloo. Hakoda and Katara's eyes widened as they focused on her as they finally snapped out of their daze.

Her body continued to glow for what seemed like hours before it slowly faded away leaving the awed audience in utter stillness.

A series of coughs broke the silence. However, what shocked everyone was that they didn't come from Hakoda, Katara, or even the man standing quietly over the deceased...

...Or at least...that's what they thought until they traced the coughs to her.

Complete and utter shock was shown on the faces of everyone present when Kya slightly sat up using her elbow as support when she lazily looked around the room. Her tired eyes landed on two people she could never mistaken.

"...Hakoda...K-katara?" She quietly said in a raspy voice.

Tears once again built in their eyes, but instead of the guilt and grief being there before...

...There was an eruption of relief and happiness.

"Mom/Kya!" They exclaimed as they ran to her and just about tackled her before taking her a gentle and loving embrace.

A few moments was all it took before-

**THUD**

All of their attention was then brought to the momentarily forgotten blonde. They saw that he was laying on his side and looked to be fighting to stay awake if his fluttering eye lids gave anything away. That was when they felt their breaths hitch in their throats when they got a _real _good look at his eyes.

Even in his tired state he was able to register their reactions and became confused...until he was able to glance at a nearby broken piece of glass. In his reflection...all he could process was...

_'Purple...ripples...R-Rinne...' _Then he felt his vision becoming blurry and falling into sweet unconsciousness... but not before seeing the purple being replaced by a familiar blue.

* * *

**The next morning**

Blue eyes once again opened, but instead of the grey sky it was to an ice ceiling.

He let out a sigh, _'Is me waking up in mysterious places going to become an everyday thing?' _

"Well, good morning."

He suddenly turned his head to the woman he believed to be dead sitting on the floor with Katara sleeping snug in her arms. Her dark brown hair was still messy indicating she just couldn't be bothered with it, but was able to get into a proper change of clothing. Her eyes looked to be tired, but still at ease not being afraid of the awakened man.

There was also a little boy that seemed to be the same age as Katara leaning against her side as he let out small snores in his slumber. He had the same clothes that everyone seemed to own here and had the same wolf tail Hakoda possessed tied behind his head except the sides of his cranium were shaven.

"Um...good morning?" He wasn't really sure how to progress the conversation further since he was still gathering his thoughts. He sat up and realized he was comfortably positioned in a blue sleeping bag with only his tattered shirt and pants on. He was about to speak again, but gave a raspy cough instead. He looked up to Kya as she nudged her head to the glass of water next to him. He understood and gave a nod in thanks before he greedily drank the water in one go and let out a sigh of relief.

"I think proper introductions should be made," Kya started, "I'm Kya, and these are my children Katara and Sokka. The man you saw yesterday was my husband Hakoda. What's your name?" She asked gently with a smile.

He looked at her in silence for a few seconds and let out a small foxy smirk.

"Uzumaki Naruto."

**Chapter End**

**AN: Well, that's it for now and I hoped you found this at least somewhat entertaining, me being new to this and all. Please let me know what you thought in a review and how I can possibly improve. Also, I'm a little stumped at how to explain the whole process of Naruto obtaining the Rinnegan, maybe even the EMS from Madara too, oh! and immortality, can't forget that. I just can't think of a proper explanation to gaining these abilities or even traveling to the Avatar world so if anyone can help then that would very appreciated. Hmmm, a last stand Kamui perhaps?**

**Oh, and Naruto in this story is stronger and knows a lot more due to a combination of taking shit seriously during the training trip and shadow clones...yeah...but he has to learn about the new culture presented before him and do a little soul searching so I think I'm going to have him travel 6-8 years and come back to the South Pole in time for canon start. **

**Do you think I should make everyone one or two years older? Just to have more pairing potential, I got to have options people!**

**The inspiration for me to even try writing was after reading NeonZangetsu's "Avatar of the Gods" so go check that out.**

**Oh and can you believe I typed this on my phone during TV commercials ;)**

**Until next time...**

**LATER**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The First Step Forward

**AN: Wow...didn't exactly expect that much of a response and it was pretty much all positive, thank you!...well except for point that I misspelled "Jutsu"...yeah...not my best moment...thanks for that btw...but nevertheless I appreciate all that reviewed along with those that now follow this story. I hope I can live up to your expectations, even those that are just testing the waters of my writing. Well, enough of my gibberish that you probably skipped and on with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Avatar: The Last Airbender**

"Uzumaki Naruto? That's certainly a unique name," Kya started with raised eyebrow, "But mild curiosity aside, it's very nice to meet you." She said with her gentle smile still intact.

Naruto returned it with his own. "Likewise," he said while looking her form over quickly. "You certainly seem...uh...better." He sheepishly scratched the back of his head. That was a _understatement_! It's not everyday someone is brought back to the land of the living...well...at least as far as these people knew.

It seemed his _amazing _observation bore truth as she gave him a deadpan stare. "Wow, really? I don't feel _that_ much different," she replied with heavy sarcasm, but with a hint of playfulness.

All Naruto could do was awkwardly chuckle and Kya gave a small giggle of her own.

They both saw, or in Kya's case, felt Katara stir as she started to awaken. She fluttered her eyes open and let out a small yawn. Her arms stretched to relieve tension before rubbing the remaining sleep from her eyes. The uneven surface she was laying on caught her attention before slowly looking up to the smiling face of her mother.

"Mom!" Katara then hugged her as tight as her small arms would allow and basked in her warmth. "It wasn't a dream!" Her voice muffled by her face buried in Kya's busom, yet she sounded like she was struggling to hold back tears. "I t-thought you were really gone!"

Kya hugged her back lovingly. "I'm not going anywhere," she whispered while closing her eyes and adding more pressure to the embrace.

A snort was heard. They all turned to attention to Sokka as he was making his own way out of the realm of dreams. As if without even noticing the present company he sat up with half-lidded eyes and drowsily walked towards the small kitchen area. The only thing he said was a lazy "Breakfast..."

Everyone watched on as he continued his valiant quest...only to trip over leftover rubble and face plant with a loud _THUD._

No one knew how to react at first until they heard the loud sounds of snoring escape from the small boy. Naruto then let out a loud laugh that amazingly enough didn't disturb Sokka's slumber. It did, however, make Katara quickly turn around and her eyes lit up in recognition.

"The magic man!"

"Huh?" Was what Naruto replied with while squinting and tilting his head to the side. Kya thought it look similar to fox; it was pretty adorable in her opinion.

Without a second to waste, Katara ran up to him and crashed into his chest making Naruto let out a small "oof!"

"Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthank-"

"Whoa. Whoa. Slow down for a bit! One word at a time please!" He said kindly as he sat her in front of him to see her clearly.

"It's just you-the weird feeling-then the light-my mom!" It seemed the poor girl couldn't pronounce a proper sentence as she waved her arms around excitingly while looking back and forth between the stranger and her mother, all the while the still audible snoring was being ignored.

She seemed to have gotten her thoughts together when she shook her head and looked back at him with a beaming smile, and eyes full of admiration. She held out her now mittenless hand. "I'm Katara!"

Naruto gave her an amusing chuckle and presented his own trademark grin. "Uzumaki Natuto," he replied while grasping her small hand and giving it a small shake. "Just call me Naruto though."

She gave an affirmative nod. "Okay!"

"C'mon Katara; let Naruto rest more while you can help me fix something to eat before your father gets back." Kya then stood up, walked up to Sokka to pick him up then placed him on another nearby rolled out sleeping bag.

Katara nodded and gave Naruto one more smile before joining her mother.

"I think I'm pretty well rested-already," Naruto argued before Kya turned to look at him with a stern glare.

"Those bags under your eyes say otherwise," she shot back while placing her hands on her hips...a universal sign saying "listen to me or else." She wasn't lying either; Naruto's eyes seemed absolutely exhausted.

However, just like with his many female acquaintances in the past, he ignored her order. "What? I'm perfectly fine!" He scoffed in defense while crossing his arms and holding his nose in the air. "I'm full of energy! I can stay awake for days, dattebayo!" Naruto then stiffened up with a little shock on his face. "Uhhh..." He didn't know how to proceed. No matter how hard he tried, his verbal tick just won't die!

"I'm just going to go to sleep now..." He said in a defeated tone while he curled up within the confines of the sleeping bag and turned his back to the Water Tribe females.

Kya and Katara just had similiar confused expressions with their right eyebrow raised. Katara looked up to meet her eyes and Kya just shrugged before proceeding to see what they could whip up.

Naruto shut his eyes after getting comfotable and ever so slowly fell asleep...

...while completely forgetting he had newfound powers and was still in a unknown location...

* * *

_...Her clear eyes were absolutely ruthless. Even with them seemingly empty, one could feel the power and pure emotion that could pierce any poor soul unfortunate enough to make eye contact. The horn-like appendages atop her head only seemed to enhance her overpowering aura. Her sudden appearance stunned everyone into silence as in Madara's place after Black Zetsu's betrayal..._

_...was Otsutsuki Kaguya and she made her intentions clear._

_The way she stated the world was her "nursery" she didn't want to damage further made it seem as though she wanted the fighting to stop...and in a way she did..._

_...by sending Naruto and the others to a world of lava that she created out of nowhere. That was absolutely terrifying and for a moment they all prayed it was just a genjutsu, but sadly that wasn't the case._

_This woman...no...a goddess...had powers that even the most power hungry of individuals couldn't even fathom. _

_It was only the combined efforts of the reunited team 7 that helped them all not meet a horrifying death in the lake of fire. After using a clone and chakra arms to get the others to a relatively safe location, Naruto and Sauske were about to take action again, but were caught by surprise when Kaguya came out of a dimensional hole behind them._

_She then reached for them as they turned around and found a hand gently cupping their chins. They were slightly surprised, but what they saw next absolutely blew their minds._

_Otsutsuki Kaguya, the princess that consumed the fruit of the Shinju..._

_...became the progenitor of chakra..._

_...ended all wars by using her power to strike fear into the world's inhabitants..._

_...gave birth to two sons that she would later want to destroy using the Ten-Tails..._

_...was sealed away by said sons and only had hope of returning by the creation of Black Zetsu..._

_...successfully came back to take all the chakra she believed that was solely hers..._

_...was now...openly shedding tears with a expression of extreme remorse on her regal and beautiful face..._

_Naruto and Sasuke didn't know how to react, but it's not like they could due to their inability to move their bodies thanks to Black Zetsu emerging around her arms. However, they both realized that no matter how much power she gains, how mad she becomes, or how hard she closes off her emotions to only show strength..._

_...she was still a mother devastated to have lost her children..._

_This was proven true when Black Zetsu said they reminded her of Hagoromo and Hamura. One might think it was her fault for losing her children in the first place...and they would be right...but who knows what goes through the mind of those that have completely lost it?_

_Then the truth came out about the details of Black Zetsu's plan to bring back his mother. It seemed as though the history of shinobi was built around bringing Kaguya back. After the revelation with Byakugan blazing, third eye opened, and tears still streaming down her cheeks Kaguya shakingly said, "I...hate...you...Hagoromo...Hamura...you both belong to me."_

_That's when Black Zetsu deemed his role finished and was receding himself into Kaguya's sleeve, but before they completely lost contact Naruto violently pushed her Black Zetsu-covered arm away while doing the same for Sasuke with a chakra arm. During this he said, "Of all things...you people...of all things...ARE NOT THE HISTORY OF NINJAS!" He wasn't finished. "And one more thing! A mother is happy when her children gain their independence and leave!"_

_What followed was Naruto quickly whispering his new plan to Sasuke which actually managed to make him break his "broody battle" face._

_"You actually managed to do _**that**_and created _**what**_?!" He whispered back in disbelief._

_Naruto cheekily smiled back. "Got anything better? No way is she going to let us get close and she could always just travel through dimensions before we get the chance."_

_Sasuke just stared at him blankly before looking down, closing his eyes, and sighing in defeat. "Kami..." He looked back at him."You do realize if this works this is going to be in the history books, right?_

_Naruto simply smirked. "Think of it as a prank for future generations."_

_Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Hn," he grunted before looking back at Kaguya. "Ready?" He asked with a side glance._

_Naruto looked back and gave him a firm nod as they both got ready for action._

_"I don't know what you're trying to do...but mother has absorbed every known jutsu. Anything you try is meaningless." Black Zetsu creepily said within the shadows of Kaguya's open sleeve._

_"__**Amaterasu!**__" Sasuke suddenly yelled and Kaguya immediately erupted in jet-black flames that would normally incinerate a human being, but the Rabbit Goddess was slowly snuffing them out._

_During this however, Naruto was already on the move. "__**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" **__He yelled while putting his fingers in a familiar cross sign. Eight clones suddenly surrounded her just as she extinguished the flames harmlessly off her body and was preparing to strike back._

_Now what happened next was...like Sasuke hinted at and Naruto happily understood...something so unpredictable and completely insane that potential shinobi and kunoichi for centuries will gawk at their teachers when they explain the defeat of Otsutsuki Kaguya, the creator of chakra and possibly the most powerful person to walk this earth._

_**"Oiroke Gyaku Hāremu no Jutsu" (Sexy Reverse Harem Technique)**_

_Suddenly all the clones transformed into naked...attractive...men?..._

_Everyone except Sasuke, and yes, even Kaguya, were completely shocked and frozen where they stood._

_Off in the distance with Kakashi, a Naruto clone, and an unconscious Obito, Sakura who had a trail of blood escaping her nostrils, was mentally berating Naruto's new jutsu._

'Have you gone completely stupid?! What the hell kind of technique are you using at a time like this?! I mean...I'm a different story, but do you really think that jutsu is going to work on a god like that-'

_Before she could finish her thought Naruto grabbed Sasuke's shoulder and they both disappeared in a flash of yellow..._

_...and reappeared on either side of Kaguya with their yin and yang covered palms grabbing hold of each shoulder all thanks to the special seal he applied on Black Zetsu when he pushed him away before returning to Kaguya's side._

_Yup...Naruto learned the Hiraishin...it was during the training trip that he finally understood that what he knew wasn't enough and begged Ero-sennin repeatedly to teach him all he could before he relented after he kept interrupting his "research"; this of course included fuinjutsu. It took nearly the entire trip, a shitload of memory-receiving shadow clones, and a whole lot of patience before Jiraiya let Naruto take a crack at the legendary teleportation technique. This was also after the reveal of his parents and Jiraiya being his godfather._

_Of course Naruto was shell-shocked and emotionally vulnerable..._

_...but nothing a good, long crying session and a swift kick to his discovered godfather's jewels couldn't fix..._

_...Kami rest his perverted soul..._

_Naruto did learn more than just fuinjutsu, but that's for another time...now then..._

_"It worked?!" Sakura yelled_

_The Rabbit Goddess could not react in time before the symbols on their hands glowed a heavenly white while Kaguya and Black Zetsu became immobile much like they made Naruto and Sasuke earlier. _

_She was shaking as her power visibly left her body in white transparent streams that danced around those in contact with her. Her eyes and lip-sticked mouth were facing the volcanic ceiling as she let out a silent scream. All she could do was shakily glance from Sasuke then Naruto._

_These boys...these men...who were the reincarnations of her own flesh and blood...defeated her..._

_If she had the ability to chuckle right now, she would. The deja vu was immense. The denial and reluctant acceptance of her failure...feeling absolutely vulnerable and powerless...falling prey to this godly power like her own..._

'Just like so long ago.' _She thought depressingly as her chakra was being drained out of her at a faster rate and the escaped energy grew bigger and brighter. A loud, whistling wind formed in the air rustling their hair and clothing; large pieces of rock splashing in the lava around them._

_They say those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it, and she was starting to feel inclined to believe it. However, since she _was _that history, perhaps in this case she had to learn from her- '_Mistake.' _She abruptly thought as everything seemed to slow down around her; her hearing becoming slightly muted as if she were in a daze._

_Was...was she in the wrong?...Was power really all that mattered?...Was this attempt doomed from the start?..._

_She glanced again to the two increasingly glowing men. '_Such a pathetic return...I haven't even been alive for an hour yet.' She lamely thought.

_She suddenly felt the last strings of her chakra about to be drained and was only able to garner the will to whisper one last sentence..._

_"I was a horrible mother..."_

_Both Sasuke and Naruto slightly lifted their illuminated eyes in acknowledgement of her words..._

_...but only Naruto was able to see the lone tear escape the corner of her eye as she closed them in acceptance of her fate._

_Before he could think about her words, thin pillars of light erupted from very small cracks in her former blemishless skin. Naruto and Sasuke had to shut their eyes from the brightness as they clenched their teeth feeling the chakra being sealed within themselves. It was almost unbearable! The sudden influx of power was like trying to shove Gamabunta through a tiny door! Their clothes started to rip slightly and small chakra burns were beginning to form around their bodies. It seems as though even with their godly powers gifted to them, Kaguya's chakra was almost too much to handle._

_The surrounding area started to shake as if an earthquake was occurring. Kakashi, Sakura, and the Naruto clone looked around in worry not exactly sure what to do. They had no choice, but to wait for Sasuke and Naruto to be finished. It's not like they could exactly move around that well; as soon as the sealing began, they felt like their chakra was being drained. Perhaps it was because of Kaguya's power manifesting in the air. They did hear that she had the ability to absorb chakra after all. This was quickly getting bad though as they saw the Naruto clone struggling to keep afloat and keeping a grip on their bodies._

'Please hurry...' _Sakura thought._

_As Naruto and Sasuke continued the struggling process of sealing, a dimensional hole appeared near them...then another...then another...and before they knew it, a seemingly infinite amount of holes in the dimensional plain opened around them. They appeared in the air, on walls, and even directly on the pool of lava. However, instead of the normal pitch black holes they saw Kaguya travel through were fuzzy images flickering in a myriad of colors. They all seemed to release a sound of static and...were those voices?_

_That's when everyone, even the distracted Naruto and Sasuke, looked around in amazement as they witnessed nearly every new reality play a small, blurry "movie" of sorts with the tiniest hint of sounds besides static. There was casual conversation, whispering, yelling, sounds of fighting, and even the laughter of children. It was an absolute unexplainable experience._

_That's when Kaguya's body reached her limit as she was completely enveloped in the white light of her spirit. From her feet to her head she began to dissolve in glittery pieces; befitting for the princess of chakra._

_As her glowing head joined the white streams of energy around them, Naruto and sasuke felt more pressure being put onto them. They were holding their ground as best they could while feeling their chakra coils expand and aflame. They've never felt like this before! It was like years of training and knowledge being forcibly shoved into their minds and their DNA being rearranged! They also detected rapid emotions passing through them...anger...hate...bitterness...hurt?...regret?...those last two sure as hell wasn't from the sacrificed Madara or obliterated Black Zetsu...then who-_

_A huge pulse of power suddenly exploded outward between Naruto and Sasuke as the last of the chakra was sealed. They were launched in opposite directions as Naruto landed roughly on a conveniently placed platform of rock while Sasuke slammed into a wall, but quickly stuck to it using chakra._

_The many dimensional holes suddenly began disappearing and reappearing in random spots around them. It was happening fast and was hard to follow, but they were more worried about the rapidly deteriorating volcano world. They didn't have much time and frantically looked for a way home. _

_As if Kami was blessing them a hole appeared next to Sasuke with a clear view of the battlefield they were in before. "Guys, over here!" Sasuke yelled._

_The Naruto clone acted fast and used his last bits of chakra to throw Kakashi, Sakura, and Obito towards their ticket back to the Elemental Nations before dispelling. Despite Sakura's screams of surprise, the throw was spot on and they quickly disappeared through the hole; all the while barely missing other dimensions appearing out if thin air. _

_Sasuke was about to go next, albeit very slowly due to exhaustion, when he saw Naruto struggling to move from his position looking at Sasuke with half lidded eyes...with tears of blood...and rapidly changing eye color of blue, red, and a greyish purple...wait...what?_

_"Shit! Naruto!" Sasuke screamed. "Get your ass moving dobe or I swear to Kami I'll destroy all ramen!"_

_That seemed to get a small reaction as Naruto shakingly rose to all fours with raspy breaths. "Got t-to g-get up." He whispered to himself with his vision becoming hazy and hearing starting to mute..._

_...then without warning a new dimensional hole formed right beneath him. His and Sauke's eyes widened as Naruto sank into the hole as if in slow motion._

_He could do nothing but shakily reach his hands towards Sasuke before blackness took over his sight and heard "NARUTO" in an echo..._

_...then he started falling...falling...falling-_

* * *

"Gah!" Naruto quickly awoke with a start. He was sitting up, breathing rapidly, and covered in cold sweat.

"O-oh yeah...that's what happened." He shakily whispered as he gently held his face in the palms of his hands noticing the circle he was marked with was gone. _'Must have served its purpose' _he briefly thought.

A hand then gently grabbed his tattered sleeve making him slightly jump in surprise. He turned to look into the worried blue eyes of Katara.

"Did you have a nightmare?" She asked innocently.

Naruto only gave a small nod before looking at the rest of her family a few feet behind her. They looked to be preparing to eat some sort of stew that gave off a pretty appetizing aroma. They surrounded a small fire pit in the middle of the now open and cleared room; a small metal pot hanging slightly over the flames supported by a wooden cooking rig.

Kya looked him in slight worry with a ladle and bowls in hand, Hakoda was simply curious and slightly anxious to have him finally answer his questions, and Sokka...well...was looking at the cooking stew as if all life's secrets were held within with sparkling eyes.

"Well, it's okay now. You don't have to be scared." Katara soothingly said with her little reassuring smile.

Naruto couldn't help but let a smile sneak its way onto his whiskered face. "I know. Thank you." He gently replied.

Katara's smile grew as gave a nod before returning to her family.

It was silent for a moment until Hakoda stated, "You understand we have a lot to talk about?" It wasn't a question.

Naruto nodded and started to get up. "Do you mind if I take a walk first? There's...a lot on mind." Naruto requested with difficult look in his azure orbs.

Hakoda slightly narrowed his eyes. "And how do I know you just won't leave?"

"Because I wouldn't know where to go and from what I saw so far, there is nothing but snow for miles. But just in case you don't believe me..." Naruto then walked up to Katara, kneeled down, and reached into his shirt. Katara was confused before she gasped at the beautiful necklace he pulled out. The main piece obviously being the thinly cut shiny green crystal verticly hanging on a black cord. The only other parts were a small silver bead on either side of the crystal.

"This is for collateral so that I come back." He said while looking at Hakoda before turning back to Katara with a smile. He then gently put it around her neck saying, "Take good care of this for me, okay? Someone very special gave it to me years ago."

Katara looked down to the green crystal then back to Naruto giving him a determined nod.

Naruto walked to chair with the rest of his clothing and boots and put them on. A few seconds later he passed the tarped entrance and looked around. It seemed he slept all day if the star-filled sky was anything to go by.

Walking down the path he originally came from with hands in his haori's pockets, he saw that nearly all the damage was cleared and pretty much everyone was inside their tents and igloos due to the lights from their fires. As he walked along he noticed he was getting strange looks from those with their tents open and even some that walked out of there homes of ice.

He didn't really know how to react to their whispering except to keep walking. He did, however pick up a few words like healer...spirits...powerful...magic...cute-

He nearly tripped when he heard the last one that seemed to come from a couple of teenage girls, but powered on with his journey, although with a hint of pink on his cheeks. That aside, it seems some rumors were spread around him.

He eventually came to the same hole in the wall he walked through and went back out. The hill he fell down was where he made his ascent, but not before rolling his eyes at the imprint of his face in the snow that somehow didn't disappear. As he climbed up his mind still remained relatively blank before his breath hitched in his throat as he reached the top.

"Beautiful..." He whispered in awe.

Off in the distance a magnificent display of aurora lights were gracing the icy valley with its presence. The wavy streams of greens and blues enhanced the beauty of the mountains and untouched blankets of snow. Its reflection on a small frozen lake in the distance shined with a sense of peace and tranquility. It was like heaven on earth that nearly brought a tear to Naruto's glistening eyes.

He sat down comfortably to watch this natural wonder while gathering his thoughts.

_'Well now what? It looks like I'm stuck here and it's not like I can just create dimensions like Kaguya.' _He thought with a sigh. _'At...at least everyone is all right. I was prepared to die for everyone and in a weird way I guess I did.' _He then felt the tears escape and quickly wiped them away with a sniff. _'I just hope they are happy from now on...Sasuke...Sakura-chan...Kakashi-sensei...Baa-chan...Shizune-nee-chan...Ino...Chouji...Shikamaru...Kiba...Shino...Tenten...Lee... _"Hinata-chan..." He whispered. "I was really hoping to act on her confession after the war...damn it!" His nails dug into his palms and nearly drew blood before he let out a shaky breath.

He then looked to his right open palm. "And now I supposedly have the Rinnegan now?" He proceeded to send chakra to his eyes and felt...in a word...strange. Everything around him seemed clearer and felt that very small vibration in the air again. To confirm his suspicions he slowly raised his now gloved hand to look into his reflection on the shiny symbolized hand guard.

"Oh Kami..." Just as he suspected, he saw that his eyes were a metallic purple with three ripples surrounding his pupil.

He just sat staring in shock letting out ragged breaths until he instinctively sent chakra to his eyes again in a...let's say..._different _way. As if his life couldn't get more nerve wracking, he blinked and saw something completely different coating his eyes.

In place of the previous purple...was a crimson red...with a black pupil surrounded by three connected tomoes that each had an empty circle being filled by the before mentioned red, along with three black bars connecting to an outer black ring...there was no doubt about it...

...Naruto possessed Madara's Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan...

As though he was like his lazy comrade he let out an exasperated...

"Troublesome..."

**Chapter End**

**AN: Like it? Hate it? Want to give me a cookie or strangle me?**

**Nevertheless, I once again want to say thank you to those that reviewed, followed, and offered advice for the story; you know who you are!**

**This was definitely a tad bit tougher to think about since, in case you didn't know, I'm totally winging this story. I kept on re-typing parts and just blankly stared at the same paragraph for like half an hour without progressing...**

**I just hope that the Kaguya scenario is somewhat believable because I just wanted to get that out of the way and move on and it's not like I was going to wait for the manga to show how it ends. I also don't know why I made her feel bad and regretful...I guess I just have a small weakness to girls crying...no matter how crazy they are.**

**Now about Naruto's training trip skills, I'm just going to reveal them at certain points or just give a brief summary. If you're wondering how Naruto is affected by the biju, Kaguya's sealing, or just general skills...well...hell if I know anything about it! :D Naruto is basically a blank canvas waiting to be painted on! Will he just gain their powers or actually make contact with the biju and Kaguya like a proper jinchuuriki? Are they actually the Jubi now? I don't fucking know! :D Suggest something!**

**All I know is that with Madara being sacrificed for Kaguya and Naruto sealing her in himself he got the Rinnegan and EMS by absorbing the chakra and just naturally gaining them. He **_**is **_**a descendant of the Sage and reincarnation of Ashura after all...and even if Sasuke absorbed the same chakra, I don't plan on using him anymore as far as I know. If it doesn't satisfy you then just think of something else...not rewriting that shit.**

**Now we move forward with Water Tribe life and time skips!**

**Leave suggestions for anything in a review or PM like events/skills/characters/pairings or whatever! **

**Oh yeah, godly chakra + Uzumaki longevity = Immortality = Pairing options**

**I think that's it...**

**Later!**


	3. Chapter 3 Can't forget the Past

**AN: Hello again my readers! I got to say the increasing support is really making me want to write more and your kind words really warm the organ that pumps my blood (Korra reference); and I mean that! I'll leave anything else important in the bottom AN so read on my lovely ladies and manly men! Onward!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Avatar: The Last Airbender**

The battlefield was in chaos...

The defensive walls and various forts were destroyed; a body lay motionless every few feet between the camps of each army.

Forces refused to stop fighting despite the heavy losses on both sides. It seemes that every soldier still active were absolutely ruthless and were prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice in the name of victory.

One of the commanders looked on in pride for his remaining fighters and sadness for those that have fallen.

_'Damn good troops; every last one of 'em.' _The commander thought while continuing to look on. _'Everything we trained for was for this day.'_

Movement was suddenly heard to his left. He turned to look, but by then it was already too late. The weapon of choice for both opposing sides was already on route for his chest and it struck with enough force to be heard among the entirety of the skirmish.

Soldiers of both factions turned their attention to the falling commander just before he fell on his back; some in disbelief while others in victory.

"No!" They all heard as they saw it came from a distressed field medic running to her fallen leader. She slid next to him on her kness when she got near enough. She quickly looked him over then reached into her small medical pouch...

...only to find that her supplies were completely used up.

Her face suddenly took on an expression of shock then defeat shortly after. Before she could woe in her sorrow, a hand gently cupped her cheek. She saw that it was from her injured superior.

"Don't look so down." He said in a trembling whisper. "As long as there is one to carry on our will, we haven't lost. There will always be hope for a future victory, even as we move on to the next life." He let out a few coughs showing his weakening state.

"Remember everything I taught you and never lose that bright fire fueling your spirit. I...I know you'll make me proud." He finished as he saw her give a slight nod with an emotionless expression.

His hand then gently lost its grip on her delicate face and slowly fell to the unforgiving ground motionless. The only thing anyone else noticed him do was let out just one last breath as his head rolled to the side officialy out of action.

Silence...

That was all that was heard among the occupants within the combat zone.

Was it to commemorate those that couldn't make it? Perhaps it was just the astonishment of witnessing the esteemed commander's demise? No one was completely sure.

All they knew was that this day would be passed down for future generations to remember the efforts of these brave-

"Ha! We finally won! In your stupid faces! WOOHOO!"

-soldiers?...

More cries of joy rang out with an equal amount of frustrated groans. This all came from both the alive and supposedly "dead" troops.

"Katara! Why didn't you revive Naruto! We could have kept going!" Whined Sokka as he dropped the snowball that he was previously about to throw.

Katara, the now identified field medic, glared at her brother. "Don't blame me! I wasted my last revival cookie on you! Maybe if you didn't keep on getting hit all the time, I could've used it on him instead!"

"I do not get hit _all _the time!" Sokka retorted. "My strategies are foolproof and when I do get hit, it's only because they got lucky!"

"Strategies?! Who in their right mind yells "sneak attack" before attacking!?"

Sokka raised his as if he was about to give a response, but crossed his arms with a huff while muttering "whatever." He glanced at a destroyed wall of snow representing their last line of defense. "How did they get passed our left flank anyway?! And where is Yakone?!"

Everyone looked to the unguarded wall and saw a small boy known as Yakone sheepishly make his way back to the war zone. Everyone gave him a blank look waiting for an explanation.

He stared back confusedly. "What? I had to pee." He said plainly.

Sokka simply slapped his mittened hand onto his forehead before looking at his "deceased" leader. "Why do you always have to be so dramatic Naruto? You don't have to give speeches like that every time you get out."

The now revealed commander Naruto quickly sat up with mock anger on his face and fragments of snow falling off of his chest. "Hey! I only do that to make this as realistic as possible! I'm preparing you for real combat through this battle simulation!"

This "battle simulation," as he likes to call it, is simply a glorified snowball fight with a few extra rules that took place in a small open area safely surrounded by the tribe's homes. Each side had a commander to defend at all costs that, when hit by a snowball and not revived, automatically makes his team lose. Each side also appoints someone to be a field medic and has five revival cookies to bring back someone into the fight. However, they must be brought back within ten seconds of their "death" or they are permanently out. Naruto suggested for the medics to just have five chances to say "you're revived" with a light pat on the arm, but all the children argued that cookies were more efficient...or they just wanted an excuse to get more treats...whatever...it works, doesn't it?

One random kid just muttered "Or you're just making up for a failed acting career or something..."

Everyone just let out a few chuckles and giggles making Naruto pout. This caused more laughter to erupt and make nearby parents and other tribesmen join in. The men shook their heads with an amused smile and the women giggled thinking the whole thing was cute.

Naruto gave his own chuckle as he made his way back to his feet. "Okay you little warriors, front and center!" Naruto yelled with authority as all the children gathered around.

"Now," Naruto started as he began to pace back and forth with his hands behind his back. "Let's see if you remember some of my teachings."

He stopped his pacing and faced him with a calculative gaze.

"Who do we leave behind?!" He yelled liked a drill sergeant.

"No one!" They yelled in unison.

"Why do train our minds just as much as our bodies?!"

"Sometimes it's better to have brain over brawn!"

"Why do we fight?!"

"To protect our precious people!"

Naruto nodded sagely. "Good. You've been listening well." He clapped his hands together. "Okay! We're done for today. See you next week!" All except Sokka and Katara said their goodbyes and made their way home.

They started to head off themselves, but not before Katara tugged on Naruto's pant leg and gave him an expectant stare. He chuckled. "Oh all right." He said before picking her up and placing her on his shoulders. She gave an excited laugh before absentmindedly playing with his blonde spikes.

As they made their way to their own respective residence they received greetings of waves and smiles which they quickly returned.

Eventually they made it to their igloo and stepped inside. Making lunch was Kya and Kanna, otherwise known as-

"Hi Gran Gran!" Katara said from Naruto's shoulders.

Kanna looked back and showcased her own smile and similar hair 'loopies.' "Hello children. Did you have fun playing with Naruto?"

Both children nodded before Naruto set down Katara who was slightly disappointed at the action. He then looked at Kanna with a defeated and exasperated look. "We weren't playing Kanna!" He whined fakily. "This is a carefully planned and effective pre-training warrior program."

Kanna gave him a wrinkled deadpan look. "That requires us to keep making you kids cookies?"

"Your point?" He responded blankly.

She shook her head and went back to helping prepare the food. "And how many times do I have to tell you? Call me Gran Gran."

Naruto just gave a sheepish chuckle. "Sorry, I'm just not used to that yet."

Kya looked over her shoulder. "Really? You've definitely been here long enough, hunted with the men, repaired people's homes, helping with everyone's training, you even look the part! You're practically family now." She finished with a kind smile that everyone suddenly found forming on their own faces.

Naruto then looked down and indeed saw how his wardrobe changed to something a little more Water Tribe friendly; courtesy of Kya. The less significant part was the regular tribal boots and dark blue trousers that blended in with all tribe members, except for the forehead protector that used to be on his stored flak jacket was now a makeshift belt buckle.

He wore the blue coat like everyone else lined with white fur in the appropriate places. His however, was about mid-thigh length instead of the normal knee to near ankle length. He also had the Water Tribe emblem of a circled crescent moon with three waves upon the middle of his chest. Kya was even generous enough to sew a Uzumaki swirl on his right shoulder and the Konoha symbol on the left; both white in color like the Water Tribe emblem. They went well with his hand-guarded fingerless gloves he continued to wear since the symbols were on the same arm.

Underneath the coat is a long-sleeved black shirt meant for colder climates as an undershirt or warmer weather by itself. This was in place of the normal blue tunic others wear. Tucked inside around his neck was of course the green crystal of the Shodai and his Baa-chan.

What looked to be a really baggy turtleneck attached to the shirt was actually a facemask not unlike Kakashi's. However, Naruto's has a little bit more "flair" on his. When fully pulled up to near the top of his nose, a top and bottom row of white canine-like teeth was visible. It looked like Kurama's when his mouth was slightly open. It was actuality pretty intimidating and sure as hell scared the crap out of Katara and Sokka; even Hakoda slightly jumped. Kya was a little hesitant to make it, but Naruto insisted and even offered a drawn design; one of the benefits of fuinjutsu is gaining the ability to not only make exquisite seals and symbols, but also become an adequate artist...

...eat your heart out Sai...

And speaking of Kurama! Well...Naruto hasn't been able to contact the fox or any other biju since falling into this dimension...or Kaguya since technically he did seal her into himself...so is he her jinchuuriki too? He also still had Kurama's chakra, so should he be worried? Bah! He shouldn't think too hard on this; he's sure something will happen and give him answers...eventually...

...but I digress...

It has already been about two years since Naruto's abrupt arrival to the Southern Water Tribe and he has certainly been busy. He has been honing his new abilities with his dojutsu and has gotten a near masterful grasp on them, but that doesn't mean he has let his other skills waste away.

He practiced his fuinjutsu every now and then since he was already just as good, if not better, than Ero-sennin. Although one might ask "But what happened when he ran out of supplies? How was he able to practice his calligraphy without special ink or sealing paper?" That was easily solved by one of his newfound Rinnegan abilities.

* * *

**One Month After Arrival**

_A man snuggly held within a sleeping bag was in quite a bit of distress. Only his blonde hair and face soaked with sweat was visible. If one were to look closely they would see that his body was constantly shaking and his teeth were clenched. What might be causing this? What horrors in this young man's life caused him to lose his sanity and well-being?_

_"N-n-no more r-ramen left..." He said in a shiver._

_Indeed his dreadful state was the result of ramen withdrawal...not the manliest way to get sick...but hey, we all have our own weaknesses._

_It was a little over two weeks prior that he ran out of all his instant ramen cups due to a little emotional eating from homesickness. He ended up completely emptying out his vast supply from his storage scrolls and even emergency stash from the seals on his arms. _

_Naruto was now a shell of his former self that seemed to have lost all hope in humanity. Kami...he could still imagine a big bowl of Ichiraku's miso ramen being given to him by the beautiful Ayame...all steamy with a heavenly aroma...the broth working in complete harmony to give his tastebuds complete euphoria...hell, he even remembers the exact weight and feel of the bowl and ingredients...if only-_

_THUNK_

_"W-what?" He softly said as he focused his tired eyes to the ground in front of him. A white blurry object began to reveal itself. _

_"N-no way!" He whispered choking back a sob. Right there in front of him was a steaming bowl of Ichiraku's miso ramen; there was even chopsticks!_

_He didn't know how long he stared with his mouth open wide and moistening eyes, but when it finally registered that it wasn't a hallucination...for the first time in many moons...he cried his eyes out in complete joy..._

_...and totally freaked out Hakoda's family in the background with his strange abilities and awkward behavior..._

* * *

It took a little while to realize that this was due to his Yin-Yang Release that he was able to create the food of the gods simply from memory. He was ecstatic when he learned this and tried to create other objects like kunai, but he learned it took a lot of mental prowess to get it perfect. This applied to everything he tried to create, but nothing a few hundred shadow clones and time wouldn't help with. Now he could make a lot of things, like, say, money? He always felt a evil laugh of victory begin to build when that thought crossed his mind...although water tribe money wasn't exactly worth much since its use was limited outside the tribe and everyone survives by gathering and hunting their own supplies...not exactly a lot of trading was done.

Now moving on to other skills like his taijutsu and kenjutstu. His taijutsu was easily taken care of by sparring with the experienced warriors like Hakoda and even his friend Bato. With his style of speedy feints and quick, powerful strikes, he was easily able to defeat them. Sure it hurt their and other's egos, but that wore off when he offered to improve their fighting abilities. He did, however, make their lives a living hell. Intense strength and speed exercises ran them ragged and they all returned to their families in a collapsing heap...Naruto also learned it is never a good sight to see a grown man cry. However, it made the tribe certainly a force to be reckoned with in hand-to-hand combat after a year of training and would only continue to improve.

His kenjutsu practice also came from fighting the various warriors available, but they obviously fought with weapons like battle clubs and spears. Naruto himself wielded a ninjato with its blade being 2 feet in length; giving him speed and a decent reach. The handle was completely black and could comfortably be held by two hands. The hand guard was round in the design of a crimson Uzumaki swirl that always reminded him of his mother's hair. The blade's edge was a shiny silver and the rest of it was a gun metal color. This was all held within a black scabbard adorning a white Konaha symbol and orange Uzumaki swirl.

This beautiful and chakra conducted weapon was gifted to him by Jiraiya when Yugao gave him the thumbs up after a lot of gruesome kenjutsu training. At first when Naruto asked for her teachings, she refused, but later relented when he bribed her with self-repairing and strengthing seals for her sword which he used on his own weapons. It took a lot of time and plenty of pain, but Naruto eventually became a well-respected swordsman, but he never had a solid victory over Yugao; Kami that woman was terrifying with a sword! Like his taijutsu, his kenjutsu relied on speed and gave the ability to slowly weaken opponents with various slashes or quickly end it with a lethal stab while within their guard.

Of course his ninjutsu was top notch thanks to his elemental training. When Jiraiya mentioned that even though a shinobi may only have one main elemental affinity, they can practice with the others to a point they can become natural too, he immediately went to work. By the time the three year excursion was done he nearly mastered his wind affinity and had a decent grasp at all the others. When Kakashi heard of this he felt it right to give Naruto some pointers and even scrolls containing basic information on sone of the many jutsu he's learned over the years thanks to his Sharingan. He learned a lot, but now with automatically gaining all affinities, including gravity, thanks to his Rinnegan, he could do any of the jutsu with enough practice! He was even able to make use of the medical ninjutsu Shizune gave him to simply attempt. She, Baa-chan, and Sakura would be so proud!

He was even planning to experiment on sub elements, but he figured he'd work on that later, because he was preparing to test something "special" out.

Practicing these jutsu were always far away from the tribe, of course, he didn't want to accidentally blow everyone up after all. In fact, the only jutsu anyone ever saw him openly do was the Kage Bunshin, Hiraishin, Shunshin, and Rasengan after being begged by the children to show his "magical" powerers.

The looks on all their faces were absolutely priceless. He even became somewhat of a celebrity after a few demonstrations, but thankfully that status toned down after a few weeks and he was just a unique part of the tribe that just lightens up the atmosphere...he wouldn't know how to live if he had a band of fangirls stalking his every move...

When asked by a majority of the population how he performs these acts, he stated he was able to use energy called chakra that was similar to what they called "chi" that benders use. Yes, he knows what benders are, but that's for later.

They predictably wondered what chakra was, but all he told them was that it was what his people used from where he comes from. At their curiosity on that he said that they will all know in time; that was several months after he first arrived.

His genjutsu problems were easily solved by his Sharingan. With perfect chakra control of the Rinnegan and genjutsu capabilities of the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, all he had to do was look at someone's eyes and he had full control to make them see anything his imagination could cook up. Of course this wasn't tested out on any tribal member, so he used a clone. Even though his abilities worked, it wasn't exactly the most _pleasant _of experiences...he can have a sick mind apparently...damn memory feedback...

Despite all the amazing progress with the abilities he was already familiar with, he sort of hit a wall when he realized something...

...in this world, he was basically illiterate and clueless of the world besides the South Pole.

It's weird that they speak the same language, but apparently they are totally different when it comes to reading or writing...yes...extremely weird...but he just decided not to question it.

Sadly this meant that he had to do something that he dreaded to ever do again...

...he had to go back to _school_...

The very word sent a shiver down his spine. Hasn't he suffered enough?! Why must he go through infinite useless lectures?!...

...it wasn't that bad actually.

He joined classes a little after the discovery of his Yin-Yang release. They took place in a relatively large tent that looked to be able to fit thirty people comfortably. The first day he went was a little embarrassing considering it was full of kids, but they _were _technically on the same level...sorta.

* * *

**Shortly After a Month of Arrival**

_Naruto pushed aside the tent flap and begrudgingly entered. He looked around and was able to find solace when he saw that Katara and Sokka were taking the same classes. As soon as they saw him they introduced him and basically put him on a pedestal. He became the cool kid within the first minute; something he couldn't do in years at the academy. Even if it was just kids, he felt his ego grow a bit. That was the case, until-_

_"Awww. Look at Mr. popular! You're gonna have wonderful time with us aren't you?" A hand was tightly grabbing his cheek when this was being said in a baby voice._

_Naruto saw it was coming from the smiling teacher who looked to be in her thirties. Her name was Yuzuki and she was apparently the best they had and was taking full advantage of teasing a grown man entering school with children._

_He lightly blushed when he heard the children laugh. He immediately recovered though as he thought of a way to fire back with his own teasing._

_He leaned in close to her ear. "I know I'll have a good time as long as _you're _here." He whispered huskily. Apparently some of Jiraiya's teachings weren't wasted after all._

_Her face became aflame, but started to calm down and become a little frustrated when she saw him start to laugh. Oh this class was certainly going to be interesting..._

* * *

The teasing continued throughout the next couple of months of his crash courses, but it was all in good fun. All he had to do was learn to read and write the way they do, take in a good bit of history, and generally learn how the world works.

What really caught his attention was the history of the Avatar, master of all four elements. Once this world's apparent version of a once in a lifetime sage was brought up he thought back to the conversation he had with Hakoda a few days after the Fire Nation raid.

* * *

_"Fire benders?" Naruto asked._

_Hakoda nodded. "They have the ability to create and control fire."_

_"Does everyone have the potential to become fire benders?"_

_"No. There are those that have the gift of bending and those who don't; it's decided by genetics."_

_Naruto nodded in understanding. "Are they the only type of benders?"_

_Hakoda shook his head in a negative. "There are benders of the four elements; earth, water, fire, and air...well...not air anymore."_

_"Why?"_

_"They were all wiped out by the Fire Nation." He said simply._

* * *

Naruto then learned about the war that was nearly going on for a hundred years and the story behind the eradication of the Air Nomads. He could sympathize with them since the Uzumaki's were nearly killed off completely. Hakoda went on to talk briefly of who the Avatar was and that he was the only person in the world who could bend more than one element. It was interesting to learn that once the Avatar dies, a new one is born into the next element of the cycle.

However, with the Air Nomads gone it seemed that the ancient cycle ended and the world was left with war.

What shocked him was that Katara is the last waterbender in the South Pole and the raid he witnessed was to kill her, but Kya lied and sacrificed herself to protect her daughter.

Obviously Naruto was pissed and he swore to make those involved pay, but at the time it had to wait.

Well, anyway, Naruto's studies went off without a hitch during his two month period; shadow clones are awesome. When he was done he actually hugged and kissed Yuzuki on the cheek before running out of the tent in a graduation victory. She froze and became as red as a tomato as she saw him off.

He just had to get one last tease in!

...and here we are...

Naruto looked back up from his clothes and gave an appreciative smile. "Yeah. Family."

* * *

**The Next Day- Noon**

Naruto had just got back from training outside the village when he went to look for Hakoda. From what he remembered, he and the other warriors should be doing some sparring in the same area the kids had the snowball fight yesterday.

It took a few minutes to get there and he indeed saw Hakoda with the other men taking a break.

"Oi! Hakoda!" Naruto yelled as he got close enough.

Hakoda looked up and saw Naruto waving him over. He approached him with a questioning look. "Need something?"

Naruto shook his head. "I think it's about time I let everyone know." He said with a smile.

Hakoda's eyes widened a little. "Are you sure?"

Naruto scoffed. "It's been two years already! All you guys have treated me as one of your own since the beginning and family shouldn't keep secrets from each other." He finished with a solemn look.

Hakoda couldn't help but let out a proud smile. "Well, do what you feel is right and I'll back you up. Are you going to show them using that weird eye thing like you did me?"

Naruto nodded and chuckled. "Yes, the Tsukuyomi."

You see, when Naruto got back from watching the aurora lights after he woke up, he had to have a man-to-man talk with Hakoda. They waited till everyone was alseep and Hakoda basically interrogated Naruto with rapid questions that were hard to follow.

Naruto couldn't exactly explain everything like the Rinne Tensei or where he came from without taking a long time or just looking like a crazy person.

His solution was to just show him with his newly acquired Mangekyo Sharingan. While the Tsukuyomi was mainly used for psychological traumatic genjutsu, he figured since he had full control of his own domain, he could project his memories.

And it worked almost _too _well.

Naruto decided that for Hakoda to truly understand the content of his character, he should show him the main points of his life. At first the crimson eyes surprised the hell out of him, but quickly settled down since he already went through the shock of seeing the Rinnegan.

The experience was absolutely surreal! First he appeared in a strange colored world and met up with Naruto to only have everything around him constantly change locations for the appropriate memory.

Hakoda saw _everything_...

The mistreatment...neglect...occasional beating...it was awful! How was he still sane with a smile on his face?

Then there was Konoha...his friends...the academy...shinobi...chakra...Chunin Exams...Elemental Nations...biju...akatsuki...bloody battles...war...Kaguya...dimensional travel...

Hakoda could barely process everything that he saw. Naruto was basically some powerful warrior from another world that could give the Avatars of legend a run for their money!

When he was released from the genjutsu, he quickly fell to his knees dry heaving trying to not let out the contents of his stomach.

Who could blame him? He was just basically mind fucked and saw a ton of people die in many gruesome ways. What surprised him more was that only a couple of seconds passed in the real world.

By the time he recovered he understood that Naruto would not bring harm to the tribe and let him stay. He was a good man that desperately needed to rest and regain his bearings in a completely new world; he basically lost everything and everyone he loved.

Only Hakoda knew of Naruto's life to this point and everyone trusted the chief's judgment so they didn't pry.

"Oh yeah, that's what it was called" Hakoda responded back. "Wait, are you showing the kids and elderly too? They shouldn't see all that." Hakoda said with concern.

"I know, that's why it's going to be a _very _censored down version. I showed you everything because you as the leader needed to fully understand where I, a suspicious stranger, came from."

Hakoda nodded in understanding. "Should I gather everyone now?'

"Yeah. It's about time they know."

* * *

**Half an Hour Later- Open Area by the Shore**

Naruto looked down at the entire tribe that gathered around murmuring to each other. He was currently standing on a piece of ice about fifteen feet tall that he got on by use of the Shunshin.

With the use of chakra, he projected his voice like the Sandaime at the Chunin Exams. "May I have your attention please!"

Everyone became silent and focused on him.

"Thank you. Now, what I'm about to do is going to answer all your questions you've had about me for the past couple of years. All you need to do is trust me and look into my eyes."

They became slightly confused, but nodded to the blonde.

Naruto closed his eyes, and after a dramatic wait, he opened them.

Everyone gasped.

"These are special eyes called the Sharingan. You will learn about them shortly. Now then, I'm going to try to make this experience as smooth as possible and make it sort of family friendly because of the kids. If you want more details, then the adults can gather at another time for a full version, or you could ask Hakoda for details."

He cleared his throat. "Remember, keep your eyes on mine and we can begin!" Once he saw them all focused he activated the Tsukoyomi...

* * *

**One Censored Tsukoyomi Session Later**

Everything came back to the real world vaguely dizzy. Once they were able to clear their thoughts, the crowd was buzzing with activity; there were people in shock, some crying, and others with awe in their eyes.

"A different world?!"

"That's what chakra is?"

"What was up with the orange jumpsuit?"

"Jutsu?"

"Tailed beasts?"

"He was treated that way?! How has not gone crazy?!"

"He saved his world?!"

"I just want to give him the poor guy a hug!"

That last comment seemed to have garnered an agreement of sorts amongst some villagers...especially the women.

Before they were about to console our favorite blonde, however...

**CRUNCH**

They all turned to see that Naruto fell off his platform of ice face first into the somewhat deep snow unmoving.

Apparently bringing one person into Tsukuyomi is fine, but an _entire_ tribe might be a _tad _bit tiring... yeah...he didn't really think that through.

"I think we should help him..." Some random person said.

Everyone dumbly nodded.

* * *

**The Next Morning**

Blue orbs groggily opened to the ceiling he has become accustomed to. "Kami, I'm stupid." He muttered.

"Well that's not a very nice thing to say about yourself." A tired femine voice said.

Naruto turned and saw Kya, Kanna, and Hakoda sitting near him eating breakfast. Kya not so much since her food looked cold and she looked to have been crying.

"Are you okay Kya?" Naruto asked just above a whisper.

She sniffed and looked at him. "I just don't understand how someone can experience all of that and turn out like you did." She quickly wiped an escaping tear. "Especially as a child! All because of something you had no no control over! Then once you save their asses they suddenly change and treat you nice like nothing happened?!"

Everyone's mouth hung open. Kya never used foul language! Was the world ending?!

Naruto managed to find his voice. "It...it's just that sometimes...you have to be the bigger person and let go of your hatred. It was hard, but I made peace with them and myself. They were just afraid of something they couldn't understand."

They all looked at him in awe. Just how does someone move on from something like that? He truly was an amazing person.

Kya shook her head and decided to change the subject. "So that's how you brought me back? I knew the answer of "a special medical technique" wasn't completely true." She pointed an accusing, yet playful look at him; though it looked weird with puffy eyes.

Naruto sheepishly chuckled. "Yeah. At least I didn't say it was because I'm awesome, right?"

She giggled and smiled with a nod. "So that Tsunade woman was the special person that gave you that necklace?"

He nodded back. "She was the first person I ever considered to be a mother to me, despite her bad habits." He said with a fond smile and chuckle.

"First? Kya asked.

Naruto simply looked at her with his smile becoming serene.

She seemed to have gotten the message as her eyes started to glistened and a big smile formed on her pretty face.

Hakoda smiled and wrapped his arm around her then looked at Naruto. "You know, She wasn't the only one to worry about you." He nudged his head to his blanket-covered body.

Naruto looked down and saw the sleeping and tear-stained face of Katara laying on his chest. Near his legs was Sokka that looked to have used his body as a pillow, but was now snoring away with his face limply on the floor.

Naruto resisted the laugh about to escape his mouth and just sat up holding Katara to his body. The little ten-year-old instinctively snuggled deeper into his chest and muttered incoherent words.

"How did they take it?" Naruto asked while looking at the other adults.

Kanna spoke this time. "Katara cried saying she didn't like it when you got hurt or how people treated you. Although she managed to settle down when she remembered how you beat up the bad guys like a super hero." Kanna chuckled. "That's when Sokka got really excited and started jumping around." Everyone laughed a little at that.

There was a small moment of silence as Naruto slowly rocked Katara back and forth until he looked at Hakoda. "I think it's about time we commence Operation: Clipped Wing." He said with a smirk.

Hakoda was a little taken back, but refocused. "Really? That plan seems really dangerous and risky for any of us."

"Not for a shinobi." His smirk stayed on his face.

Hakoda looked to have realized this and allowed his own smirk to emerge. "Oh yeah. How could I have forgotten that?" A small, evil chuckle emerged from his mouth that put Kya and Kanna on edge. "Give them hell kid."

Naruto's visage now looked like a very mischievous fox about to raise complete anarchy that didn't help to soothe the lady's nerves.

_'Those bastards at Whale Tail Island won't even see it coming...'_

**Chapter End**

**AN: And another chapter done!**

**Over 150 follows and favs and 56 reviews! I love you people! I'd kiss you if I could!...well, only the ladies...the guys would get a well-deserved fist bump :D**

**And yes! Cookies exist down there! Kale cookies to be exact.**

**This chapter was kind of all over the place for me. I hope it makes enough sense. I had to actually look up a lot of stuff, but I found an awesome map of the avatar world that shows everything! Even the path the Gaang took!**

**Wow, you are all pretty dedicated to the pairings, aren't ya? I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. Still winging this :D **

**Katara was in the game since she's a waterbender. They fought too!...when they were still there...decades before this point...**

**I'm thinking of making everyone 2 years older by the canon start; sound good?**

**I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and I'll start working on the next one when I can.**

**Keep suggesting stuff! You never know if it'll make it in the story!**

**Later!**


	4. Chapter 4 Payback

**AN: Damn, I love you guys! The rising support and kind words are a real good source of motivation! I'll just let you get to the good stuff and talk at the bottom. Read on!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Avatar: The Last Airbender**

The tribe that gathered felt all kinds of emotions at what was about to happen. They were excited, anxious, and slightly relieved.

Why?

The blonde that has made his mark on all of their lives was about to embark on a dangerous mission.

The excitement was from the knowledge that the Southern Water Tribe were finally able to bring the fight to the Fire Nation. Despite the fact it was through someone not originally part of the tribe, he was fighting on their behalf.

Anxiousness was brought on by their natural protective instinct for one of their own.

However, the relief quickly shot down almost all worry when they remembered the kind of person their brave warrior was.

He was a man of unfathomable strength and resolve that was only thought of in the wildest of dreams. Any mortal being would tremble in fear and awe if they were unlucky enough to stand in his way. He was a god amongst men! Someone with the power to change the world! Someone who-

"I already told you I have everything I need, Kya!"

-possessed a whiny voice!...huh?

"Don't you raise your voice to me you lunatic! I have a right to be worried for what you're about to do! You're _so _lucky we already know what you're capable of!" Kya exclaimed while overlooking Naruto as he sealed his supplies away on his person.

Naruto muttered to himself as he sealed away some jerky to the small food seal on his arm; it was barely visible as it glowed, but quickly disappeared.

"What was that?!"

"Nothing!" Naruto quickly and fearfully responded.

She gave him a triumphant look as she spoke again. "You better believe it was nothing." She then looked slightly worried. "Are you sure you're going to be okay by yourself? What if you get hurt or even lost?"

Naruto stood up and planted his hands on her shoulders while giving her a reassuring smile. "I'll be fine. I heal fast and Hakoda taught me everything about navigating on the ocean. I also have my shinobi abilities, remember?"

She looked at him blankly. "You mean like the one that knocked you out into the snow a few days ago?"

Naruto sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "I don't think that one will be required on this trip, and if I do it's definitely going to be under safe circumstances, I swear!"

She didn't look to believe him for a second, but quickly sighed and proceeded to wrap him in a deep hug which he quickly returned and placed his chin on the top of her head.

"Just come back alive, okay?" She muttered into his shoulder.

He tightened the hug. "Don't worry. I'll get back as soon as I can, dattebayo!" His body tensed up in the embrace and he let out a small groan. "Damn it..."

Kya giggled before she stepped back and gave him a kiss on his whiskered cheek. "You better." She playfully ordered with a sad smile.

"Are you going to take off or are you going to start making out with my wife?"

Naruto jumped and turned to Hakoda who was giving him a small glare, but Naruto could tell he wasn't serious. He recomposed himself and calmly shrugged. "Not my fault Kya can't keep her hands off of me."

Before Hakoda could reply, Kya roughly grabbed his cheek. "Oh, _really_? Why do you think that Na-ru-to?" She sweetly said as she increased the pressure with every syllable of his name.

"Alright! Alright! I get your point!" Naruto pleaded before rubbing his sore face when she let go.

Hakoda rolled his eyes before getting serious. "You good to go?" He asked.

Naruto nodded back. "I just got to say goodbye to the kids."

Hakoda smiled. "Go ahead."

Naruto then walked up to the front of the crowd where all the children, including Katara and Sokka, were at.

"Alright little warriors, I won't be able to train you for one or two weeks, so keep up what I've had you working on, okay?"

All the boys and girls nodded. Yup, boys _and _girls. It turns out that the normal system of just having male warriors was broken after his memories of all the amazing kunoichi were shown; even the parents were all for it. They barely started, but showed a lot of heart. Katara was certainly delighted at the change of pace and worked even harder to get better control of her bending ability.

One boy spoke up. "Are you going to tell us what you're doing? Only the adults were told, and they only know a little."

Naruto looked around as if asking for permission.

The various faces in the crowd gave a trusting smile and nod.

Naruto had to think a little before saying, "I'm going to a Fire Nation outpost to try and find the people that attacked you guys a couple years ago. Then I'm going to beat them up; as simple as that." He stated with a small smile.

"Ooooooooh." They responded in unision before muttering among themselves.

Naruto looked up to all the other members of the tribe and saw how they instantly became serious. They all knew "beat up" was putting it _very _lightly.

He gave them a nod and they returned it.

Katara and Sokka walked up to him with Sokka holding his fist out. "Kick their butts good, okay?" He asked with a smirk.

Naruto bumped it with his own fist. "You know I will."

Naruto then kneeled to be face-to-face with Katara as she stood right in front of him. "Take care of all the little warriors and Sokka for me, alright? You're the responsible one, remember?" He gently asked ignoring Sokka's objecting "Hey!" in the background.

Katara slightly nodded before practically jumping on him with a hug; her arms tight around his neck.

He held on just as tight before letting go and giving her a peck on the forehead making her blush.

"Ewww/Awww!" Chorused the children and adults...wasn't really hard to guess who said what...

Some teenage girl then spoke up. "What about the rest of us loverboy?" The other girls produced teasing smirks while their father's instinctively glared at the blonde.

Naruto was silent for a little bit before standing up with a scoff, arms crossed and nose in the air. "At least I had dinner with Katara and her family already! I swear, you all need to keep your hormones in check!" He then started walking back to Hakoda, but not before saying, "If you want a piece of this you got to do it right! I got feelings too you know?!" He said in mock anger and sadness before suddenly laughing as he walked away.

Everyone was perplexed at first, but then let out some laughs of their own.

The same girl from before turned to Katara. "So when's the wedding?"

The laughter grew as Katara slowly sank into the confines of her coat with her face practically steaming.

As Naruto got closer to Hakoda and his prepared cutter sailing ship, he wore a serious expression that he always got when heading off for a mission. There was nothing left between him and Whale Tail Island.

"You still know what you're going to do?" Hakoda asked as Naruto was climbing into the boat.

"Sneak into tower, gather information on the fleet's patrol pattern, chase if they are heading away or wait if they are close to anchoring near the outpost. Then I go have a nice little _chat _with all of the raiders, _especially _the leader." He said with a sadistic smirk as he prepared the sail.

"Get a little extra payback for me." Hakoda requested with his eyes narrowing from the memory of _that_.

"I plan on it." Naruto said seriously before looking back to him questionably. "Does this look intimidating enough if I do this at night?" Naruto proceeded to lift his teeth-covered facemask and pulled his newly attached hood over his head to hide his spiky blonde locks. Once both pieces of clothing were in place, he activated his Rinnegan and shot a mock angry look down towards Hakoda.

The chief could only dumbly nod and take a little step back.

Naruto chuckled at the confirmation and pulled down the black cloths while deactivating his doujutsu. "I guess I'm off then." He said before holding his arm down to Hakoda.

Hakoda nodded and clasped forearms with the shinobi. No other words were needed.

As Naruto got further and further into the icy waters, everyone else walked up to the shore. Kya cupped her hands around her mouth. "Remember not to die! I still want surrogate grandchildren someday!" Everyone laughed a little, but it quickly became a full uproar when they heard a distant "What, dattebayo?!" followed by an echoed "Damn it!"

* * *

**About a Week Later- Whale Tail Island**

The sun was setting as Naruto approached the outpost on his genjutsu-covered ship. They probably wouldn't see it anyway if he docked it near them, but you can never be too careful.

Once he reached a small beach, he secured the ship and proceeded to leave a clone to keep it under the genjutsu while double-checking to see if he put a Hiraishin seal on it.

With everything ready he jumped onto the sand while pulling up his facemask and hood to cover his most noticeable features. He was wearing all black for this operation. He had his repaired combat boots and cargo pants that he wore when he first fell through the dimensional hole. His normally long-sleeved undershirt was all that covered his torso along with his fingerless gloves. Just like his coat, the shoulders possessed a white Uzumaki swirl and Konoha symbol. He opted not to have the Water Tribe emblem sewn on since he didn't want anything to be traced back to them.

With a final exhale he gathered chakra towards his legs and jumped high enough to to stick near the edge of the cliff. As he hung there he quickly went over the plan in his head and applied Jiraiya's transparency jutsu. The old perv's mind really did make an awesome jutsu...even if it was used for the wrong reasons.

With his body invisible, he climbed over the top and made his way to the tower in a steady walk. He passed by the grunts that worked here without any care or worry. _'Wow, this is really easy.' _He thought as he walked right in through the open door to the main building.

He walked throughout the halls and climbed up the stairs with muted footsteps; the only thing that required any effort at all was to step aside so the guards wouldn't bump into him.

Eventually he reached a room that seemed to have all the main paperwork that was transported by messenger hawk, however all mail looked to have already been sent if the lack of hawks meant anything.

The only person in the room was a woman studying a map of the Earth Kingdom. Naruto calmly walked behind her with a small internal struggle. _'Should I or shouldn't I?' _He mentally shrugged. _'Fuck it. Might as well.'_

He ever so slowly leaned his head right next to her ear and removed his invisibility.

"Sneak attack." He whispered gently.

Her eyes shot open in fright, but before she could utter a sound, she was chopped on the back of the neck and fell into unconsciousness.

Naruto caught her shoulders before her face could hit the desk and folded her arms on it to cushion her head.

"That's how you do it, Sokka." He quietly said while mentally chuckling. "Now let's see what we could find."

He looked through various files until coming upon the mission log of the Southern Raiders. He saw that they had various campaigns mostly set along the shores of the Earth Kingdom over the years. There was reports of destroyed villages, taken prisoners, and lives both militaristic and civilian snuffed out by there hands. It was all for the glory of the Fire Nation. _'Just you wait.' _He thought bitterly.

After a few minutes he came upon a small section of the report from the Water Tribe raid. _'Raid successful...no casualties...confirmed kill of last Southern Water Tribe waterbender by Commander Yon Rha..' _He narrowed his eyes. _'Well, at least I know who I'm looking for.'_

A little later he found the fleet rotations and learned they were approaching in a few hours. Turns out that Yon Rha was about to retire and gather his possessions in the outpost's barracks and have final send-off.

"Perfect." He muttered.

After applying a small medical ninjutsu on the woman to ensure a full night's sleep, he quickly left the building to wait for his prize to arrive.

* * *

**A Few Hours Later**

Three metal ships adorning sea ravens on their red flags came to a stop near the outpost. Their anchors sunk deep into the water below to secure their positions. Uniquely armored soldiers calmly walked out onto the decks of each respective ship while conversing to each other.

A man on the middle ship was the last to join his soldiers. The various men turned to give him nods of respect and mutterings of "commander" as he walked by with his blank face and greying black hair.

Once they all seemed to stare at him he looked as if he was going to give an order, but that quickly died in his throat when an overpowering aura was released into the air.

Everyone tensed not knowing what to do about this new sensation. Everyone, including Yon Rha, looked around is unease trying to find anything that could be causing this.

Their curiosity was ended as they suddenly heard an emotionless voice say, "So this is the _esteemed _Commander Yon Rha."

They all turned to the front of the ship where a black-clad stranger was calmly standing with his arms crossed. His facemask and hood only made them more anxious.

_'Where the hell did he come from?!" _Was the thoughts of many.

"Who are you and what are you doing on this ship?!" Yelled Yon Rha after he was able to find his voice.

"That Doesn't matter." He simply said. "You won't be alive long enough to find out." He finished as he started to take a few steps forward.

This seemed to snap them all out of it as they suddenly went on the offensive. Two men simultaneously shot small fireballs towards him, but when they got near he just...vanished.

The men who shot the fire could only look at the empty spot in confusion before feeling a sharp pain in their throats.

Everyone else could only look on in shock as the intruder appeared behind the two men in the blink of an eye before thrusting his hands forward with a sickening _squelch._

The three of them stood still before the man stepped aside and let the other two fall down as they desperately clawed at their necks and the kunai now lodged through them. They were only able to let out a few gurgles before becoming limp and letting the blood slowly drip onto the metal floor supporting them.

The other soldiers were frozen on their feet. How did this man move so fast? Could they actually hurt him?

That's when they saw him slowly turn around and were surprised even further.

Where his eyes were previously hidden in the shadows were now two glowing orbs of violet staring down at them with the promise of pain. Each of them felt a chill down their spines and a trickle of sweat rolling down their foreheads.

He stode forward again as pretty much everyone decided to attack, hoping that their superior numbers would overpower him.

Some shot fire from a distance while others moved in with fists aflame to land a punch.

Their efforts were for naught, however, as he easily sidestepped the blows and fire while staring intently at all their attacks. He looked to be playing with them as he didn't even fight back!

It was only after nearly a minute of prolonged battle that he decided that he had seen enough. With a Shunshin to appear at the front of the deck again, he faced them all with his left hand rising before he quickly brought it down.

The result was instantaneous as all of the Southern Raiders slammed into the ground unmoving as if a huge weight was brought onto them. Their grunts of struggle were heard throughout the group. Yon Rha, though, was simply held in place standing up as he was noticeably shaking in a mixture of fear and resistance of the unknown force surrounding his body.

The man walked forward again; this time with no obstacles in his way except for the motionless bodies he had to step over. Yon Rha felt more and more frightened as the distance between the two of them was shortening. The pit of his stomach dropped and cold sweat was starting to glaze over his wrinkling skin. His eyes that were previously filled with pride and authority were now cowering and about to allow tears of fear escape.

He was praying for any sort of help to arrive. Wait! What about the other ships?! Hope slightly filled his heart as he quickly turned his eyes left and right, but only saw something that stomped on any possibility of getting out of this unscathed.

At the port and starboard sides of the other ships were all the other soldiers forcibly lined up in order to look at him. He noticed that next to them was a man that looked exactly like his attacker with his own arm raised towards the frozen soldiers; he seemed to be controlling them too.

"W-what?!" He whispered in disbelief. "There's more of them?!"

"Don't you just love kage bunshins and gravity control? They are just so helpful sometimes." Said the before mentioned attacker nonchalantly as he was now only a few feet away from the commander.

Yon Rha snapped his head back towards him with ragged breaths and now sweaty bangs hanging messily over his face. "P-please don't do anything else! I surrender! Take anything you want!" He was just about to bawl his eyes out. "Money, these ships, my men as hostages, anything!"

The man then proceeded to land a hard punch across Yon Rha's face breaking his nose with crimson liquid starting to gush out.

"You're nothing but a cowardly piece of shit!" He yelled as he roughly grabbed his chin to force him to look him in his rippled eyes. "You're all high and mighty until you're backed into a corner! Instead of going down with dignity, you're giving up everything for you own safety! Even your own men! Pathetic!" He finished as he let go. The defeated commander only let out scared whimpers of pain.

The now angry purple-eyed man stepped back and cleared his throat. "With that said, let's get down to business." Out of nowhere dozens of copies of the man appeared next to him. The original simply nodded his head and they quickly rushed out in different directions. Some ran into the entrance of the ships while others jumped over the railing, but no splash was heard.

"While we wait I might as well deliver my letters." He said somewhat cheerfully.

"L-l-letters? Is...is that all you came here for?" Oh, there was that tiny bit of hope again! "S-sure! I'll take them and send them to anyone you want!"

"Why, thank you! You're not such a bad guy after all!" He replied. A piece of paper suddenly appeared in his right hand and looked down at it as if reading. "Ahem, from the Southern Water Tribe..."

Yon Rha's face instantly blanched just before he saw the man flex his index finger.

_CRACK_

"AAAAGGHHH!" The Southern Raider leader yelled in bloody murder as his arms snapped in multiple places.

"Such kind words, don't ya think?" He flipped the blank paper over. "Now then; from Chief Hakoda and his kids." He flexed his finger again.

_SNAP CRUNCH_

No scream came from his wide open mouth this time as his legs were shattered practically into dust; only a quivering breath was squeaked out and tears flowed down his cheeks.

"I know, right? I nearly cried when I read it too. Gets me every damn time." He wiped away a fake tear. "Now the last one," he started as the paper was tossed aside uncaringly, "Well, that's a surprise, but it does come from a very nice woman by the name of Kya. I doubt you recognize the name, but does the last Southern Water Tribe waterbender ring any bells?"

He gave no response as he was still in his shocked state with his eyes rolling back. Before he could mercifully pass out, a glowing green hand touched his head.

"Can't have you nodding off on me now, you'll miss the surprise." He said in fake worry.

When he took his glowing hand off of the commander, his head slightly jerked in realization. He backed up and clapped his hands together. "It seems like that's my cue!" He said excitingly. "You'll be getting Kya's message shortly, but before that I'd like to say one thing." His eyes instantly seemed a thousand times deadlier. "You. Don't. Fuck. With. My. Family!"

And as quickly as he appeared...

...he disappeared in a yellow flash..

* * *

**Fire Nation Outpost- Whale Tail Island- Open Cliff**

...and reappeared on the cliff next to the barracks in the same manner; courtesy of the seal he placed before he made his way to the ships via water walking. As he settled and faced the anchored ships several hundred yards away, he heard multiple gasps behind him followed by a "What the hell?!"

"Nice night, isn't it?" Naruto asked without looking back. "You guys sure have a nice view. I wonder what it's like at dusk?" It looks like all the distant firebending caught someone's attention and all gathered to get a look.

One was able gather himself. "Put your hands up! We're taking you into custody!" They all then got into fighting positions forgetting their shock of the intruder's teleportation.

Naruto hummed in thought and shrugged his shoulders. "Don't really feel like doing that, but I'll meet you halfway if you want." He turned around to see their shocked faces once they saw his glowing, disinterested Rinnegan eyes. He raised his hands up to his chest and connected them together to form the snake seal.

"Can you all do me a favor? I'd really appreciate it if you send a message from me to the Fire Lord."

They all remained cautious while in their stances, but were curious to what this mysterious man meant.

Now for why he said what he was about to say...he had no idea...it just felt _right _and completely appropriate for this situation. In a weird way, it was a bonding moment with a former enemy.

He cleared his throat...

"Art is an explosion!" Then he sent chakra through the seal.

Everyone watched as the ships of the Southern Raiders exploded in brilliant flames of red and orange before clouds of black rushed into the air. The surrounding area shook and caused a few people to lose their balance before looking on in shock. The elite special forces of their navy...

...were completely wiped out...

"They really shouldn't have been carrying that much blasting jelly...oh well!" Naruto exclaimed before looking back at the shell shocked grunts. "I guess you just got to learn from your mistakes." He shrugged and and waved his hand. "Ja ne!" Then like before, one flash of yellow later and he was gone.

* * *

**Open Waters Near Patola Mountains**

Naruto was drifting along on his ship with a couple of clones maintaining the sail and steering. "Let's try this again..." Naruto quietly said to himself while holding his hand forward and palm up.

With an inhale of breath he continued his efforts and actually managed to break a sweat. "Come on. Come on."

There was a sudden flicker...another...another...

Then flames suddenly shot up a few feet into the air in a roaring blast before Naruto gained control and let it die down. He stared in fascination at the small flame floating above his hand.

"Yatta! Who says I need Chi to firebend!" He yelled out with a jump.

He shot a few experimental balls of fire into the open air before sitting back down on small crate and letting out a loud sigh followed by a small chuckle.

He looked at his hand and said, "I guess I was right. Wonder if it works for waterbending?"

**Chapter End**

**AN: I hope you enjoyed the chapter and didn't think Naruto was too sadistic. He is a shinobi after all and while he doesn't exactly like killing, he will do it when it's necessary. The Southern Raiders have a history of killing in this story which shouldn't be too hard to believe, so it's justified. And they hurt those who he considers family...so...yeah.**

**Now about the bending...I know that he already has plenty in his arsenal, but I just felt he should have it. His bending is **_**different **_**though; how? Idk...I'm trying to think how chakra affects Chi. I kind of thought of small theory regarding affinities, but I'll probably talk about it in the next chapter. Here's a hint: Why do you think he was observing the firebenders while they fought instead of attacking back?**

**If you want to guess or even contribute your own ideas, go on ahead! It might better than my half-assed theory and be incorporated instead. Remember, I'm making this up as I go along.**

**Now then...I'm thinking of having the warriors and Naruto leave at the canon age which is when Katara and Sokka are 13 and 14 I think, but the canon story will officially start when they are 16 and 17. The wiki said that Hakoda left two years before the war ended, but their time fighting will be extended. I'm not sure if this works, but does that sound good to you guys?**

**Now I'd like to thank you all again for your kind words and rising support! Over 200 favs and follows?! Awesome! **

**Please leave a review about what you liked or constructive criticism at where I fucked up. I read everything from you guys and anything works if it helps my writing. Some explanation will definitely be appreciated and suggestions are welcomed. Once again, THANK YOU.**

**And to those that keep asking, yes Naruto is immortal or something like that so they are all going to be around the same age. Naruto only physically though since he's stuck as a seventeen-year-old. I'm just trying to figure out a believable way for him to find out quickly...suggestions?**

**Later!**


	5. Chapter 5 Gone For Now

**AN: *Sniff*...I love you guys...so much...Once again all important stuff is at the bottom. Please read it all since you never know when I need assistance or just general opinions to shape this story, and so far you guys delivered *bows*. Read on ladies and gents!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Avatar: The Last Airbender**

"Chameleon Bay?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah, it's east of the Earth Kingdom, but directly west of the Fire Nation's capital. This is where we're all going to be assigned and guard the entirety of the Eastern Sea. Earth Kingdom troops are preparing to pull out of there and guard the northeastern part of the country. It's up to us to make sure the Fire Nation isn't able to advance towards Ba Sing Se."

Naruto nodded as he looked down at the map of the world. He saw that the position they were all going to guard was an important asset to the Earth Kingdom's defense. If any ships were to get passed them, it would be a straight shot towards the country's capital.

"When are we going to leave?" Naruto inquired as he looked up to the chief.

"A couple of weeks, so we'll have plenty of time to pack and even some last minute training." Hakoda replied.

Naruto nodded and was silent for a moment. "We've definitely come a long way. I never thought I would actually be part of a war again."

"I guess that gives us an advantage then." Hakoda smirked. "There is no one alive that could fight you on equal ground."

Naruto scoffed as he rolled his eyes. "I could probably take over the whole world if I wanted to! Those so-called _elite _forces of the Fire Nation at Whale Tail Island weren't exactly the most challenging." He then raised his hands in the air in exaggeration. "I can see it now! World Emperor Naruto! The man with the strength of an entire army! Has the power to woo any woman! The greatest ramen connoisseur in the history of mankind! The- ahh forget it; I'm too lazy to do that anyway."

Hakoda could only look at him blankly before shaking his head in amusement. "The scary thing is that you could actually just take over an entire country if you desired to."

"Nah," Naruto started as he focused on the map again, "What would be the point? I would go in, take over, and just look like some overlord. There is no unity in that and there will always be someone that will see the position as evil or something and cause some sort of conflict. If I'm going to make my mark, then it will be done carefully at the right time with the people being united in some way."

"Like that shinobi alliance you were a part of?" Hakoda asked.

"In a way, yes. Except this time it's against one country instead a few people taking on the world. If I'm going to be able to do this then I got to go step by step. I guess without even considering it, the attack on the Southern Raiders three years ago might be able to work in my favor."

Hakoda grunted in agreement. "No doubt there has been a lot of talk in the Fire Nation and even other places throughout the world about that day. You might be easy to recognize if you go out wearing at least the facemask."

Naruto hummed to himself. "Yeah; instant danger with the Fire Nation and, for now, neutrality with everyone else. It's not like I declared why I attacked or where I came from. I could be an entire different enemy for all they know."

"So when do you plan on taking your own approach on this war and how?" Hakoda said.

Naruto shrugged. "I'm not sure. I just have to trust my instincts and do what I can at the time. I guess for now my place is going to be helping you guys defending the bay." Naruto looked back with a side glance. "By the way, how long long are we going to be there?"

"The Earth Kingdom's message didn't say. For all we know we can be there from one to ten years."

Naruto was now entirely focused on the chief. "Well I definitely don't want to wait a decade to do something. Is there a way for me to split off after a while?"

"Maybe, but only if we are sure that we can have a solid plan for ourselves. If we are able to make sure all of the warriors are fully capable of repelling the Fire Nation and not require your support, we can probably let you go and do what you want. Although if you are going to be gone for a long time, I'd like you to take some time off to visit our home here. It would really calm everyone's nerves if you let everyone know what you're doing and update them on our progress."

Naruto nodded. "That sounds reasonable. How long do you think that will take?"

Hakoda shrugged. "Around a couple of years or a little bit more. That should be enough time to set up a good system of defense and patrols."

Naruto hummed and closed his eyes in a thinking pose. "Around a couple years, huh? Maybe I'll get a chance to observe some earthbenders when we get there." He said with a little hint of excitement.

Hakoda rolled his eyes and scoffed in a joking manner. "What? Is firebending and waterbending not good enough for you? Are you trying to be our replacement Avatar or something?"

Naruto smirked. "Is that a bad thing? That's a position to maintain balance around the world and with nearly a hundred years of war and no progress, I'd say everyone will take what they can get. It's not my fault I'm that awesome!" Naruto exclaimed with a toothy grin.

You see, during the time before Naruto's attack on the Southern Raiders, he wanted to see if he had any ability to bend. This was a side project of sorts since he already had elemental jutsu and a lot of extra time. He first used his Rinnegan and Sharingan to analyze the energy everyone on this world possessed called chi. It was their version of chakra and both had noteworthy similarities.

Just like chakra, chi was the source of everyone's life energy and without it they wouldn't be able to survive. Like the civilians in the Elemental Nations, every non-bender had the minimum amount of their own respective energy to live.

Chakra and chi even had the same glowing blue hue that traveled throughout the body. However, unlike chakra, chi seemed to flow like an undisturbed stream instead of having the "checkpoints" known as tenketsu like its counterpart.

This definitely intrigued Naruto when he first started and only became more curious when he observed Katara's chi when she attempted to waterbend. Even with nearly no skill at all when it came to the art, Naruto was able to see her chi glow brighter when it was put to work. He even noticed that darker strings of blue waved around in her chi as she tried to bend, but without knowledge to properly perform it, there wasn't anything else beyond that to help him.

What were those darker strings of blue that appeared? Did all benders have them when they interacted with their element? Naruto was only left even more confused when these questions popped up.

He wanted to see if he could replicate Katara's energy, but no matter how much he tried, he just couldn't. He wasn't sure if it was because of the tenketsu or just simply not having chi. Of course he tried using his water affinity to get the desired result, but it just wasn't the same as bending. By using chakra it was formed into a predetermined technique and although it could be used flexibly with other jutsus, he didn't have that _certain _control that bending gives people from what he learned about.

What if he just wanted to wave a blob of water around when he was bored?! It's the little things that are important, damn it!

It was about two weeks before his attack that he stupidly remembered that he could try absorbing this world's natural energy through senjutsu. Perhaps this energy was different here and he could obtain it to somehow gain the proper bending requirements.

When he was able to isolate himself outside the tribe for a few hours, he started to gather the natural energy around him. After a while he succeeded in absorbing some source of vitality, and noticed it was, well, _different._ It wasn't what he was used to and certainly not natural chakra, but his body still accepted it.

He wasn't sure how it affected him, but he was positive it wasn't bad. It felt like another source of life was coexisting with his very being. It was...in his best way to put it..._spiritually _enlightening...even though he already thought he was plenty spiritual...being a sage and all...but whatever.

Was this chi? Did all living beings here possess it like all sources of life from his world contain chakra? Would he be able to manipulate it for bending?

Naruto didn't exactly know what to do next except continue to absorb more as a small experiment. After a few days he discovered that what he thought to be chi was starting to become visible as a faint glow of white embraced his chakra in a slow pulse.

It wasn't overly noticeable as it wasn't just surrounding his chakra, but actually mixing in. The result was an icy blue energy flowing alongside a dark blue torrent with neither overpowering the other. He didn't know what to make of it, but just figured he'd wait and see what happens.

It was during his preparation for Whale Tail Island that he noticed the icy blue stream start to completely bypass all of his tenketsu and start to flow smoothly like regular chi. It's as if the tenketsu opened up an empty pathway in the middle or the chi-like energy just fazed right through like nothing was blocking it.

Naruto was both curious and giddy in anticipation thinking about trying to bend again, but first he would have to get through Operation: Clipped Wing.

When he was being attacked on the deck of Yon Rha's ship, Naruto was closely observing the firebender's chi paths. He saw that, just like Katara, their chi glowed, but there was a very important difference. While Katara had dark blue strings waving around in her chi, the firebenders had dark crimson.

The only other noteworthy thing to notice was that the firebender's chi seemed to flow in a strong and fast current towards wherever fire exited from their bodies like their hands in this case. This differed from Katara's chi since when she was trying to bend, it didn't exactly flow, but actually waved back and forth like an ocean's tide. It was fitting in Naruto's opinion as the firebenders seemed to use their chi as a sort of fuel while Katara's tried to "grab" any water substance in a sense; it reminded him of how he was able to use his gravity control to do something similar.

At the time when he saw the different colored strings, the first thing that popped into Naruto's head was elemental affinity. He theorized that all benders had their own single affinity, but no more than that except in the case of the Avatar. He also figured that non-benders just didn't have their own elemental nature. Apparently it was either you have it or you don't; definitely different from the civilians back home since they all had at least one element that they were more naturally drawn to.

He couldn't really dwell on these thoughts since he was literally being fired at, so it had to wait until the mission was done.

The boat ride back to the South Pole was when he jumped back into the process of bending, but this time it was with fire. By seeing how it was professionally done by the soldiers, he thought it would be easier to copy and see if this new source of power was chi or at least something similar.

He took it slow since he had a good chunk of time on the open ocean and didn't want to blow himself up or something; his track record with experimental seals and jutsus could attest to that.

With that in mind, he only wanted to make a simple flame instead of an outright attack or technique like he was used to.

Since he guessed that bending came from chi and an affinity he tried to focus his fire nature into his newfound energy for the first time. While it was slow at first, he eventually saw the same crimson strings from before! This brought plenty of excitement to Naruto and encouraged him to continue.

It was around the Patola Mountains of the Southern Air Temple that he managed to control the flow of this unique energy in the same way as the firebenders and finally sparked the flame he was looking for.

With a feeling of triumph like when he first earned his shinobi status, he continued to practice basic fireballs on the side of the ship.

It was after the warm welcome back to the tribe that he really got to work.

Away from the community he wanted to see how powerful his controlled flames were compared to jutsu and that's when he discovered something interesting. When he shot simple flames into the air in a way he thought was basic bending and looked at it through the Rinnegan, he saw that they weren't like the flames of the firebenders.

Unlike the Fire Nation soldiers, his flames still had traces of chakra held within.

Did this mean that his bending was like ninjutsu in a way? Did this give him more power and control? Was his coils now filled with a weird chi-chakra mixture of sorts?

He had no idea, but so far it worked and he proceeded to use firebending in the same way as his katon jutsus...

...and holy shit did he succeed.

Without the use of handseals or even really thinking of chakra being involved, he was able to recreate jutsus like **Gōryūka no Jutsu (Great Dragon Fire Technique) **and **Gōkakyū no Jutsu (Great Fireball Technique)** through bending.

For normal firebenders their fire would just be that; simply controlled fire. In Naruto's case, however, his flames had a chakra enhancing "boost" to them.

Was this like sealless jutsu or extra powered bending? All he knew was that while it had the power of elemental ninjutsu, it was created and controlled in the ways of benders.

Naruto tried to come up with some sort of name for this and so far...he had nothing.

Jutsu bending, chakra bending, and chi jutsu weren't exactly...creative.

Nevertheless, he was ecstatic with this breakthrough. After secretly practicing and getting more adept at fire bending for a couple of weeks, he showed the tribe.

They were absolutely amazed...well...except for the senile old man that screamed "They're back!" and managed to run an entire two feet away before tripping into a forgotten snow fort, knocking it down...which also happened to be Sokka's pride and joy. It was a tragic day for the boomerang wielding boy; he had a remorseful farewell speech and everything...

...never forget...

Anyways, when Naruto was finished showcasing his new skills, he said he would try working on waterbending. Katara was really happy at this development and even considered herself Naruto's sifu since she _has _been bending longer than him...this was short lived, however...after the first hour...

Since Naruto had the concept down, he was able to start levitating snow after applying his water nature and replicating Katara's natural chi flow. It was after a touch of sadness and jealousy from Katara that she begged Naruto to help her; even though he was already going to say yes, her puppy dog eyes that all females seemed to possess only made him concede quicker.

What followed throughout the next three years was everyday Water Tribe life mixed in with a lot of training involving the hardened warriors and the children in his pre-warrior program that increased in difficulty.

He would work them all to near exhaustion, but the results were satisfactory. They all increased their strength, speed, stamina, and overall fighting capabilities. In Katara's case, she had to train like everyone else, but focused more on bending instead of hand-to-hand combat. Her abilities have come along quite nicely, but she still wasn't a match for Naruto...ahh the usefulness of shadow clones...got to love it.

However, Naruto couldn't quite get earthbending or airbending which he thought was complete bullshit since he was originally a wind user. He figured that like water and fire, he had to observe a bender and how they manipulated their chi...but with a severe lack of airbenders, that seemed beyond his sights. Sure he still had fūton jutsus, but he wanted complete control like the monks of the Air Nomads. Earthbending was obviously easier, but he had to wait till he got an excuse to get to the Earth Kingdom...

...which was now displayed before him in the form of guarding Chameleon Bay.

"Uh huh; _awesome_." Hakoda replied sarcastically.

Naruto crossed his arms and sent him a smirk. "Jealous?"

"Yeah, yeah." Hakoda replied waving him off uncaringly. They then started walking out of the tent where classes usually took place. "You want to start training now since we got done with our discussion early?"

Naruto nodded. "Sure. I want to get everyone working as much as possible before we leave."

"Alright then, but we still have to break the news to the rest of the tribe."

"We can just have all the men tell their families after training is done and word will quickly get around to everyone else."

Hakoda grunted in agreement. "I'll go gather everyone then. I'll see you at the usual spot in around twenty minutes."

"Okay then, see ya." They nodded to each other before Hakoda took off to notify the warriors and junior warriors while Naruto headed off to the open area by the shore where training usually took place.

* * *

**Shore Area - Half an Hour Later**

"Okay everyone! Split off like yesterday and I or my clones will give you further instructions!" Naruto yelled in front of of the small crowd of training warriors.

They nodded and the adults followed ten newly created clones while the kids and teenagers followed the original Naruto. Both groups were separated by about fifty yards to ensure safety.

When the original Naruto reached his desired spot with the kids, he turned around to address them. "Okay, today we are going to enhance your evasion skills. While your attacking is decent and improving, I've noticed that a lot of you can't dodge for crap." He gestured to Katara. "This is why I'm having Katara bend snowballs at you as if they were fireballs or other projectiles in real battle." Katara seemed to gain a slight smirk at that.

"And what about her evasive training?" A girl asked.

Naruto smirked. "When you're all done, she has to dodge my snowballs."

Katara's smirk was now replaced with a face of slight fear. "Yay..." She said while looking down.

Naruto chuckled. "You're the one that asked for tougher training my protégé." He lightly patted her head. "And you know that I don't take any training lightly."

"I know." She meekly replied.

Sokka then made his presence known. "When are we all going to raise the level to our training anyway; I'm pretty sure we can handle it by now." He asked getting various nods from the others.

Naruto teasingly smiled. "Oh? Do my cute little warriors want something more difficult to work on?" Once again they nodded. "Hmm, perhaps you'd like to try what your fathers are doing?"

Everyone seemed to get excited and jittery where they stood. Naruto smirked and pointed in the distance behind them.

They turned around and their mouths hung open in fright and slight disbelief. All of the adults were constantly dodging fire and trying to attack Naruto's clones that were now transformed to look like the Southern Raiders. This was the adult version of Naruto's battle simulation and by Kami did it work. With actual firebenders attacking, Hakoda and the others were gaining valuable experience despite the fact that Naruto didn't exactly know how they fought in their entirety.

All the kids turned back towards Naruto with his smirk still in place. "Still think you can handle it?"

They quickly shook their heads in negative.

"Well, until then," Naruto said as he bended a snowball into his hand, "Snowballs!"

For the rest of the day, the adults continued to hone their skills while the children's world was filled with plenty of snow, sweat, and tears.

* * *

**Later That Night - Hakoda's Igloo**

"You're leaving?!" Kya asked in slight shock as she looked at both Naruto and her husband after they all finished dinner.

Hakoda nodded somewhat grimly. "Our guys we sent to Ba Sing Se to offer support came back yesterday with a request to guard Chameleon Bay in the Eastern Sea. Our job is primarily defensive, so we won't be looking for any fights."

Kya was silent for a second before nodding with slight sadness in her eyes. "When?" She simply asked.

"Two weeks."

"How long?" Katara asked from the side with the same look as her mother, albeit with her eyes glistening more.

Hakoda sighed. "I'm not sure. At least a few years." Kya and her children looked more downtrodden at that. "Although if we are secure enough, we'll send Naruto back to visit you guys."

They all perked up a bit, but were still saddened by the news.

"All the warriors are going?" Sokka asked breaking a small moment of silence.

Naruto nodded. "Yeah. We're pretty positive the Fire Nation won't travel over here and we need all the manpower we can get and no Sokka, you can't come."

Sokka lowered his head as his following silent question was answered.

Katara looked towards her father and Naruto. "Are you guys going to be in danger?" She asked.

Naruto smiled back to the thirteen-year-old. "We'll be as safe as we can, but we are going to a war zone after all."

Katara nodded sadly.

"Don't look so down. With all the training I put your old man and the other old farts through, they are more than ready for the Fire Nation." Naruto said with his trademark smile.

Everyone besides Hakoda stifled a laugh while the man himself looked blankly at Naruto and simply said, "Old?"

That finally caused everyone to let loose their laughter that completely broke the sad atmosphere.

* * *

**Southern Water Tribe Shores -Two Weeks Later**

The sun had just gone down; the faintest traces of its radiance barely lingering in the open sky. There was a sadenning silence only broken by the occasional muttered goodbye and held back whimper that managed to escape its creator's lips. The sounds of crunching snow and moving tides didn't reach the ears of those deep into their emotional state.

Equipment and various necessities were just about to be finished being brought onto the small fleet of cutter sailing ships; each with a lantern hanging at the front. The men packing everything all had blank faces knowing that it will be a considerable amount of time before they return to their families, if at all. Even if it was only moments away before they too got a chance to say their goodbyes, they were dreading it.

Just the thought of not seeing their loved one's faces for years gave them heavy hearts. It was only when they were done with their individual tasks that they broke their emotionless facade as they slowly approached their wives, sons, and daughters.

Some just held each other tightly in silence letting out lingering tears while others were openly expressing their heartache with choked sobs and soothing words.

Their chief was currently in the embrace of his wife and children in a depressive silence. Kya and Katara let their tears fall freely while Sokka clenched his eyes shut and had a quivering lip.

Footsteps behind Hakoda alerted the family of another person approaching. They barely lifted their eyes to see it was the blonde that they've come to love over the years. His normally happy blue orbs were slightly downtrodden and he had a sad smile upon his whiskered visage.

He let out a small sigh. "Everything's ready to go Hakoda." He said just above a whisper.

They didn't voice any response and simply opened up a space between Katara and Kya.

He smiled just a little bit bigger before walking forward and joined them. As he reached as far as he could with his arms around their bodies he let out a small sniff. "I'm going to really miss you guys."

The family responded by hugging even tighter.

Eventually they slowly separated, but still kept a hand on someone's arm or shoulder.

"You boys better come back alive or I swear I'll revive you and kill you myself." Kya tearfully said trying to lighten the mood.

They all felt the corners of their lips twitch slightly and Naruto chuckled.

"Don't worry, if Hakoda or anyone else screws up I'll save their asses." Naruto said trying to give his best foxy smile, but was struggling to hold it. He couldn't really think of anything else because he was immediately slapped upside the head.

Naruto put a hand where he was hit and pouted at Kya who was giving him a stern glare.

"Language." She simply said.

"Oh come on! Katara and Sokka aren't exactly kids anymore. They're practically going to be adults in several years!" He whined.

Everyone besides Naruto and Kya gained amused smiles and were momentarily able to forget their sadness.

Kya poked Naruto in the chest. "I don't care. I'm not going to have them corrupted by your dirty mouth."

"_My _dirty mouth?! You should hear Hakoda and the rest of-"

"Okay! We should probably get going to meet our schedule!" Hakoda interrupted with a nervous drop of sweat forming.

Kya sent him a suspicious glare before gaining a saddened look again and hugging both her husband and Naruto; an arm tightly holding their necks.

They hugged back with a single arm before she stepped back and gave a motherly kiss to Naruto's cheek and a short but passionate one to Hakoda's lips.

"Damn, get a igloo you two." Naruto humorlessly muttered.

The couple separated and everyone shared a small chuckle.

Hakoda turned to his children. "Sokka, you're the man of the family now and I want you to protect your mother and sister." He said while gripping the fourteen-year-old's shoulder.

Sokka nodded seriously as if given an order by his superior on the battlefield. His father then held out his arm and Sokka did the same before locking forearms and leaned into a manly hug with Hakoda patting his son's back. They stepped back before Hakoda was suddenly glomped by Katara.

He wrapped his arms around her with just as much force and kissed the top of her head. "Look after your mother and make sure Sokka doesn't do anything stupid, okay?" He playfully said.

Katara broke the embrace before wiping a tear. She smiled at him and nodded.

With his family in front of him and Naruto at his side he gave them one last sad smile. "Remember that I love you three and I'll try and get back as soon as I can."

They nodded and Naruto got close to Katara and Sokka.

"Keep training yourselves while we're gone, alright? I left some instructions in a book on the dinner table. Keep to the program I have set up for you and make sure none of the other warriors-in-training get lazy."

They nodded an affirmative before they were suddenly lifted off the ground in a final bear hug. "I'll return as fast as I can before I head off to travel more; and who knows, maybe I'll take you guys with me?" Naruto said as he set them back down while they tried to regain oxygen.

Once they recomposed themselves, they nodded excitingly at the thought of getting a chance to see the world outside of the South Pole.

"And one last thing," Naruto started as a tri-pronged kunai appeared in his hand from the seal on his wrist, "Throw this to call me, but it's for emergencies _only_, okay? I don't even know if I can teleport that far or how energy taxing it is, but it's better to be safe than sorry." He said as he gave his father's famous weapon to Katara.

"Take care of yourselves." He finished as held his fist out.

Sokka bumped his back with a smirk, but Katara just stood there for a moment with a look of slight struggle. With a gulp she walked passed his fist and kissed his cheek lovingly instead of a small peck.

She finished and quickly took her position next to Sokka and her mother with a noticeable blush and eyes facing the snowy ground. Sokka raised his eyebrow in shock and confusion while Kya smiled knowingly.

Naruto had a small tinge of pink visible on his cheeks, but quickly shook it off and chuckled. "Getting a little bold, eh Katara?" He said teasingly as Katara's face became redder.

He laughed a little louder before looking to Hakoda and giving him a nod with his face becoming serious. He nodded back and they turned to walk towards the ships after giving the family one last smile.

One by one all the warriors eventually made it onto their respective ships and slowly set off.

The remaining villagers of around a couple hundred or so gathered together to watch their loved ones drift away. A light fog surrounded them as a few people held up their own lanterns.

Sokka was holding one while his sister and mother were embracing his arms on either side.

With nothing but the sound of the water's moving tides and embrace of the now fully risen moon's glow, everyone had the same thought invading their minds.

_'Stay safe.'_

**Chapter End**

**AN: God I hope all of that made sense...it was kinda frustrating to think of something that was believable concerning the whole bending thing. Hopefully you guys understand it and perhaps even come up with a proper name for the chi-chakra energy? **

**I'm not very creative...**

**Oh and good job guessing correctly **Freakfondu** and thanks **cameron . naraval ** for helping me gather the proper train of thought for the whole senjutsu chi absorption...thing. **

**I'm sorry if there wasn't much progression, but I felt I had to get that info out of the way.**

**Now I'm not too sure if Naruto should be immortal or just have a **_**very **_**extended life. What do you think? Either way I want him to be informed by the biju or even Kaguya if you guys want her in.**

**I just don't know what their roles will be since Naruto is plenty strong already. Will they make a big impact on the plot or just simply be present in the background? How will they act? Did they change at all? **

**Any experienced authors out there that have done something similar?**

**All I know is that with all of them included I'm pretty sure they can be heavily involved in helping set up the proper steps for a sequel in Legend of Korra...but it's only a small idea and that's only if I even get that far.**

**I think the canon start will hopefully be next chapter so don't give up on me!**

**Please leave a review of what you liked or thought sucked to help me out. Explanations would be appreciated and will allow me to enter your thought process...don't be shy now ;) All suggestions are welcome.**

**Over 300 favs and follows AND we broke 100 reviews?! THANK YOU! **

**That's it for now, so keep it classy you lovely ladies and manly men!**

**Later!**


	6. Chapter 6 Years Passed and a New Start

**AN: Wow...just wow...holy...I don't even...just read and I'll talk later...damn I love you guys!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Avatar: The Last Airbender**

The ocean was calm underneath the mostly clear sky as a lone cutter sailing ship was traveling at a steady pace in the southern waters.

_'Wonder how everyone's been doing?' _Thought the ship's only passenger if you didn't count his two clones currently manning the sails.

The man's spiky blonde locks were waving around without care from the breeze hitting his whiskered face which had a uncontrollable excited foxy smile. His blue eyes showed this as well as they looked to and fro hoping in some way that time would progress faster.

"You know boss," one of the clones said while adjusting the sail, "Why don't you just use waterbending to get there faster if you can't wait?"

The man turned around to face the clone while crossing his black-sleeved covered arms; the attached facemask and hood were loosely snug around his neck and a noticeably new dark orange stripe ran from the insides of his sleeves down the sides until they ended at the hem next to his hips. The white symbols were still proudly worn on his shoulders matching his guarded gloves. "Nah. While I do want to get back home quickly, I think it'll be even better if I take my time and let all the excitement build up."

"You're only torturing yourself further, but whatever." The clone said with an uncaring shrug which is weird considering he should be holding the same excitement...guess they all have their own unique quirks.

The original turned back around facing forward on the front of the vessel and was barely containing his fidgeting body.

_'Did everyone change much? Did all the kids grow a lot? Were they attacked?! No...they would've called me...but what if they couldn't in time? What if they were captured and sent to a prison in the Fire Nation and just sitting there scared waiting for me to- no, no, no...get a hold of yourself Naruto...' _He thought to himself while trying to avoid sounding like a certain Kumo shinobi.

_'Still...it's going to be a lot more exciting from here on out...'_

He wasn't lying either. While he did have a chance to finally make it to the Earth Kingdom, he didn't really get to travel much because of his duties.

A good chunk of his three year tour with the warriors was spent getting situated and coming up with a basic system of protocols. There was a lot of scouting to get properly positioned for their patrols and plans set up for different occurrences.

The main camp was set west of the bay on a decently sized open beach front that opened from a small valley instead of the common mountainous walls along most of the shores.

From this position they would be able to become aware of enemy navy forces trying to progress through, but never had to worry since there was already scouts near the middle of the inlet that would hurriedly give a warning.

For over a year they would quickly send one of their smaller and faster ships to gather the appropriate forces when they were rarely attacked by the Fire Nation. Naruto himself would travel to the specific Hiraishin seal on the ship currently on patrol if he wasn't on duty.

When he made his arrival he would then proceed to cast a genjutsu in order to keep everyone hidden until it was too late. As soon as their vessels were within proper range they would all board the metal warships in complete surprise and fight to their fullest capabilities.

With the training from Naruto over the years, Hakoda and his men almost always came out unscathed. There was, however, the occasional bad burn or stab wound from spearmen, but thankfully there was no deaths, albeit with a couple of close calls.

Even with the powerhouse that was their blonde companion, the tribesmen knew and wholeheartedly believed that Naruto should never take on the enemy himself, otherwise everything they prepared for was useless. Naruto made it perfectly clear that he wasn't going to hold their hands and quickly learned he actually didn't need to worry about that. However, he did step in when conflict looked to be too much to handle and treated wounds with his medical ninjutsu, to the mass appreciation of the warriors.

Naruto did his part on the battlefield by using the Henge to make him look like one of the other Water Tribe fighters and strictly used taijutsu and some swordplay to simply knock out his opponents or injure them enough to take them out of the fight. He didn't exactly want to reveal himself or his abilities until the time was right and it turns out they actually weren't really needed. Forces sent from the Fire Nation weren't overly large in number and were surprisingly on par with the warriors most of the time. The quality of the Water Tribe's offensive abilities certainly were successful as shown by their multiple victories.

When Naruto and the others made it obvious the fight was in their favor they would either take prisoners and have them delivered to a scheduled Earth Kingdom patrol at a later time, or simply let them run with their tails caught between their legs. There was the infrequent Fire Nation grunt, though, that thought he could take them on only to end in his death if he couldn't be incapacitated. This was uncommon and it was always one of the tribesman that took care of the situation. Naruto wouldn't interfere by request of his brothers in arms since they understood they needed this experience for the future.

The very few ships salvaged from those that were captured were completely cleaned of anything useful, taken apart by Earth Kingdom engineers, and used for scrap or other researching purposes.

During this time period Naruto was finally able to lay witness to some earthbending. When they all first arrived to the bay, the Earth Kingdom soldiers were still preparing to leave and had to provide instructions to Hakoda.

All Naruto had to do was simply ask to see their abilities claiming that he always wanted to gaze upon the might of their military. With their egos stroked and the chance to show off their superiority to a supposed foreign non-bender, they easily complied.

Naruto, under a Henge to hide his natural looks to avoid questions, was able to analyze the workings of fully fledged earthbenders. Just like he suspected, their chi had wavy strings of green that constantly changed from light to dark. When they bended, like waterbending, they "grabbed" their element in a sense, but instead of their chi waving, it stayed securely in place as a mountain would on the ground. They levitated earth from pebbles to boulders, created quick walls from the ground as protection, and even sank their feet into the soil to stand their ground in a hypothetical attack.

After all was said and done, the troops left and Naruto got right to self taught earthbending in his free time. When he got the grasp of it by hovering rocks and freely controlling the dirt, he mostly let clones do the rest. His fellow warriors could only watch his progress with awe at first, but quickly changed to amusement and non surprise since they were used to the mysterious antics and powers of the blonde.

The little traveling Naruto was able to partake in was to a couple of small villages nearby that didn't really affect him much, but was still beneficial. During his visits he was able to acquire the currency used in the country. With a little practice he was able to create the copper, silver, and gold pieces out of thin air via Yin-Yang release and was added to the slowly growing list of things he could magically create like kunai, shuriken, sealing paper and ink, miso ramen...beef ramen...can't forget pork ramen either...

...we all have our own priorities...

While he knew he pretty much had unlimited wealth, he mentally agreed that this wouldn't be abused...much...what? He saved his world! He deserves to spoil himself once in a while...especially after all the mooching done to his Gama-chan by Ero-sennin...oh the stories that could be told by that toad wallet...absolutely terrifying...

Even with this source of money at hand, all he really did was eat excessively at some food stands, left generous tips, and even gave some homeless people and others in need some peace of mind in the form of an anonymous small bag of silver or gold pieces. All anyone remembered was a passing man with rare blonde hair and suddenly they mysteriously had newfound wealth next to them to their utter joy.

He wasn't looking to flaunt his money and didn't even really know what to do with it, but he did know he always enjoyed making someone's life just a little bit better; especially since he understood hard times financially. It's not like there was amazing things to buy anyway; there was just what people in a village needed to get by like food and clothes which he had plenty of.

These small visits and the occasional defense against the Fire Nation continued for more than half the time of his work with the warriors until Hakoda managed to invent something that would give them an edge in future conflicts.

By combining bamboo, dried animal hide, skunk fish, and seaweed, the tangle mine was born.

This was a decently sized round mine that Hakoda designed to detonate when being hit by a ship. Once it explodes, seaweed is released in order to become tangled in the ship's propellers, stopping it cold in its tracks, while the unbearable smell from the skunk fish would cause those aboard to abandon ship. The defenseless soldiers would then either get picked up on an ally ship for a tactical retreat or become easily captured with little to no resistance.

Hakoda decided to nickname the tangle mine the "Stink'n Sink"...

...he was the only one that laughed...

Anyway, with this defensive tool in their arsenal, the attacks from the enemy became less frequent and easier to deal with. The last few months before the day commemorating three years since their first arrival was spent as a testing period for the warriors. They insisted that the time for them to work without Naruto was at hand and they practically ordered him to stay at base camp.

There was only a few attacks and were dealt with swiftly with only some difficulty and the occasional minor flesh wound, but it was nothing they couldn't handle.

It was shortly after three years officially passed that they decided it was time for Naruto to set off to do his own thing, but not without heading back to the South Pole first and easing the hearts and minds of their loved ones.

After a small sendoff and a few heartfelt goodbyes, Naruto set off on his voyage to head back to the snowy lands that he now called his home...

...and here we are...

_'Just a little further, just a little further, just a-'_

Naruto's thoughts were suddenly cut off as he gazed upon the spectacular sight within the somewhat cloudy skies in the distance. Starting from an unseen source surrounded by glaciers was a huge beam of white light with a slight blue hue. The single stream shot up and instantly seemed to penetrate the heavens above while waves of the same energy surrounded it, looking similar to the celestial lights that were known to be in the area.

It was absolutely awe inspiring to the blonde shinobi and all he and his replications could do was watch with wide eyes and their mouths slightly agape.

After a short moment of this continuing, Naruto noticed that the beam was starting to thin out and the surrounding ripples began to vanish within the glowing upper atmosphere. As this happened he noticed a slight disturbance above the surface of the water far away.

When he gave full focus to this new display he only had enough time to blink before a shockwave was instantly upon him. In the split second he had with his thoughts, he saw that it wasn't like the shockwaves from explosions that he was familiar with. Unlike the normal push of energy at high velocity followed by the sound of detonation, this was a small transparent wall that seemed to have the same coloring as the lights in the sky.

When it reached his form, he was surprised that only the sound of a calm wind was registered in his ears and instead of being pushed, he felt the energy seemingly begin to absorb into his coils.

His breath then quickly hitched in his throat as his vision began to blur into darkness. The only thing he could take note of before he completely lost consciousness was the pops of his now dispelled clones, his body falling backwards, and the rapidly pulsing seal on his abdomen...

* * *

Two irises of blue slowly and groggily began to open to the surrounding landscape and quickly closed from the sudden flash of light in their field of vision. They fluttered until the fogginess they bore witness to started to clear. When the surrounding environment was properly revealed, the eyes widened to their absolute limit as the owner barely managed to utter two words...

"Holy shit..." Naruto said barely above a whisper.

What caused this reaction was one of the most beautiful sights he was lucky enough to see in his life...

In front of him was a vast ocean that continued on as far as his trained eyes could see. Its tame waters sparkled from the golden rays of sunlight that managed to peek through the various fluffy clouds that possessed a hint of grey.

The sounds of the low tides reached his ears and brought his attention to the small shore that was in front of him and downward. He watched as the pushing and pulling of the water covered the reachable sand and darkened its color repeatedly in a slow and constant rhythm. His eyes stayed on this sight before they started to linger to the rest of the dry sand and saw it eventually connected to a large body of neatly trimmed grass.

He followed the traces of green up to where he was sitting and finally noticed he awoke on the side of a fairly large hill. He looked down to his right and gently grazed the green blades with his fingertips, tickling them somewhat.

He deeply inhaled through his nose and smelled the salty air with a faint trace of a coming rain.

With the sight in front of him, the touch of the grass, and the scent invading his nostrils, he couldn't help but let out a small amusing chuckle as he fell back once more on his back and sprawled out his limbs.

"I'm back..." He softly said to himself in a mixture of slight disbelief and happiness. This was an appropriate reaction considering...

...it's been quite some time since he's been in his mindscape...

He let his eyelids close once again and simply continued to lay there in peace to drink in the atmosphere for all it was worth. The waves of the ocean tenderly lulled him while a gentle breeze used just enough of its strength to calmly sway Naruto's hair, clothes, and the surrounding blades of green. With the clouds blocking the sun, small amounts of its light and warmth peeked out just like over the ocean onto him in a perfect balance to where he wasn't too warm or cold, and its escaping rays didn't annoy his eyes in the slightest.

_'Why now though?' _He thought scrunching his eyebrows in wonder. _'I was always blocked off...until I absorbed...whatever the hell that was...chi?...It's like it unlocked the path for me to get here...but...if I'm here doesn't that mean...'_

The breeze suddenly picked up into an aggressive wind which made Naruto sit up trying to find the source. He noticed that the wisps of wind started to gather in a small tornado of sorts on the top of the hill just behind him and slightly to his right.

He didn't exactly know what to make of it until the visible blades in the gust started to take on a crimson color that the blonde was all too familiar with.

Naruto simply smiled in joy and relief while laying back down with a pretty good idea of what was happening. He got comfortable and reclosed his eyelids, placed his hands behind his head, and just let the event run its course; all the while not caring about his ruffling hair on his face with a serene grin that couldn't be broken.

After what seemed like an eternity, the winds stopped and Naruto heard what he believed to be a deep animal like yawn followed by the grunts one would release while stretching.

He could practically feel his new company looking around before stopping on him and staring at his relaxed position.

Naruto heard a few heavy steps being taken, resulting in the slightest of rumbles in the ground, before they stopped and the sounds of a huge body adjusting to lay on the hill near him echoed slightly in the quiet area.

Silence quickly took place throughout the mindscape...

Naruto wasn't unnerved in the slightest. On the contrary, he felt a sudden anxiousness that threatened to explode from his being, but fought to keep it contained hoping that this new presence would break the ice between them.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"**...we did it..." **A deep voice rumbled out.

"Yeah...we did..." Naruto replied.

Once again silence broke out between the two as they both seemed to enjoy this moment of peace in the tranquil setting.

"I really missed you Kurama." Naruto suddenly said while glancing upward.

Kurama scoffed and rolled its now open red eyes as it laid on its belly with its chin resting on crossed arms.

**"Don't get all sappy on me gaki...I doubt it took you that long to recover." **The fox seemed to gain an amused smirk. **"Hell, I thought we were gonna die there."**

Naruto's eyebrow twitched as he kept his right eye on his tenant. "So even after all those heart to heart speeches of confidence, you still believed we could've lost?"

**"Not lose, but maybe go down with the ship; figuratively speaking." **

Naruto simply stared for a moment before rolling his eyes as well while looking forward until Kurama's words caught up to him. _'Wait...didn't take that long to recover? Kurama doesn't know?'_

**"New duds Naruto?" **Kurama asked breaking Naruto's thoughts.

He saw the fox gesturing to his slightly changed shirt and the new articles of clothing around his neck. His usual cargo pants and boots were still in use currently, but were alternated between what was given to him by the tribe.

"Uhh...yeah," Naruto said with his thoughts still somewhat jumbled, "I thought it was the time to try something different." He then lifted the facemask showing the unique design.

Kurama's slitted eyes widened a tad and its smirk grew further. **"It's about damn time you started to worship me. I thought you were a lost cause."**

Naruto pulled the black cloth back down and looked at Kurama blankly. "Don't get too full of yourself furball."

It was the fox's eyebrow that twitched this time.

"By the way," Naruto started before Kurama could speak, "What was up with that reforming wind crap you just did?"

The fox seemed to shrug without much care. **"Not sure. Doesn't really matter. I'm here aren't I?" **A look of curiosity then overtook its furry features. **"Where's everyone else anyway? I thought we would have a proper family reunion without all of that end of the world bullshit."**

"You're the first I've seen actually, but I can still feel them like I did you before you showed up again."

**"So I've been asleep or something?"**

Naruto shrugged, not exactly knowing what happened himself. "I guess absorbing all of that chakra did something to disrupt our connection somehow, but I absorbed some sort of energy that looks to have fixed it. For all I know, you came back first since we've always been stuck together, so you somehow took priority."

**"Energy? Chakra?"**

Once again the blonde shrugged.

With nothing else to go on at the moment, neither of them really looked too deep into it.

**"Wait...what about Kaguya?"**

"I've been wondering about that too and I think I might feel her along with the rest of the biju."

Kurama scoffed again. **"**_**Great**_**...now I might have to live with my dysfunctional family **_**and**_** a psychopath..."**

"Could be worse; she could've absorbed all of our chakra and we would be dead."

Kurama relented, but didn't voice it. A different thought then borrowed its way into the fox's mind. **"So how's being Hokage treating ya? Everything you hoped it would be?" **It said before noticing Naruto quickly stiffen and avert his gaze to the ocean.

**"You've gotta be fucking kidding me..."**

"Kurama-" Naruto started to break the news, but was suddenly interrupted.

**"Even after all that, you still didn't get the stupid hat?!"**

"Listen-"

**"They gave it to the duck ass, didn't they?!"**

"Just-"

**"Who the hell wants a duck's ass overlooking them from the monument?! Who?!"**

"If you would just-"

**"How the hell would he be pardoned in the first place?! After all of that shit he did to everyone?! Hell, the next thing you tell me is that he stole the Hyuuga girl from you just when you finally gained a few brain cells and a pair to finally do something!**

"Hey! I-"

**"And I swear to Kami, if that little shit turned on us again, I'm going get out of here and-"**

"OI BUNNY EARS!"

A murderous fire instantly erupted within the bloody red irises of the nine-tailed demon as it glared down at the now standing blonde while rising from its laying position.

**"YOU SWORE YOU WOULD NEVER-"**

"JUST SHUT UP FOR A SECOND DAMN IT!"

Naruto and Kurama just stared at each other with narrowed eyes while the former was trying to recompose himself.

Naruto then sighed after a moment and tiredly ran his hand through his spiky hair.

"Kurama...no...I'm not Hokage...I haven't stepped foot into Konoha in a long time..." His blue eyes then looked down with a heavy sadness to them. "I haven't even been in the Elemental Nations since the end of the war..."

Kurama's eyes widened with its anger now forgotten. **"What the hell are you talking about?"**

Naruto looked up at his partner with his sorrow still in place. "Kurama...something happened after the sealing...something big...how much do you remember?

**"I just remember the sealing almost being complete, a bright light, and now I'm here..." **

Naruto rubbed the bridge of his nose with his right thumb and index finger in frustration. "Well...here we go..." He muttered to himself.

**"What?" **Kurama questioned as a bad foreboding was stirring in its gut.

Naruto sighed in exaggeration and looked at his tenant with as much seriousness as he could muster. "I haven't been in our dimension for a little over eight years..."

As if beating the impossible, the fox's eyebrows shot up to unimaginable proportions while its mouth hung open in complete disbelief.

**"You're joking, right?"**

Naruto continued to glare on in an absolute "no bullshit" look.

**"Okay, you're not joking...well shit...but how the hell did that happen?" **Kurama asked still coming to terms with the current situation.

Naruto looked on blankly, but still held a stern attitude. "Do you really find it hard to believe that once shit went down, there wouldn't be a stray dimension to swallow me up; especially with my unpredictable luck...or bad luck...I don't even know anymore..." He said while looking to the ground defeated.

The fox then, as much as a huge mass of sentient chakra could, looked a little sheepish. **"I guess not...but still...eight years in a different dimension? That's a lot to take in kit..."**

Naruto sighed heavily again. "I know...the beginning was a little too much to handle mentally, but I guess I moved on over time...I miss my friends to death and think about them all the time, but...as long as everyone else is safe...I can accept this...I saw them make it back before getting stuck in this dimension..." Naruto was now sitting cross-legged and absentmindedly ripped small blades of grass every few seconds.

Kurama could only look on as an awkward silence fell upon them, but quickly ended as Naruto remembered one...or two crucial details he had yet to reveal, but was beat when Kurama made a small comment first.

**"For eight years going by, you don't look a day older..."**

"Yeah...I've kinda been wondering about that for a while...ya know...considering the chakra I absorbed?" He said while looking back up to the fox as understanding quickly entered its crimson orbs.

**"Give me a moment..." **Kurama requested as it closed its eyes in concentration.

Energy was felt vibrating through the air as Kurama focused on Naruto's chakra and overall vitals.

Red eyes then shot open in surprise as they proceeded to look at the waiting and curious blonde. **"What the hell have you been doing? There's some sort of energy flowing alongside your chakra...which is a **_**lot **_**more potent than before I might add...not surprising with the chakra you sealed in yourself, but still..."**

"I think that energy is chi." Naruto responded which only made the kyuubi more confused.

**"Chi?" **Naruto nodded. **"Well, whatever the hell it is, it's here to stay...and seems safe...for now...wait a minute..."**

"What?"

**"I think I know why you haven't physically changed...even if you're a Uzumaki, **_**something **_**was bound to change...and from what I can tell...well...I think we're going to be stuck together longer than you thought." **

"Explain."

**"With your longevity pretty much super charged by what happened, you have a few Uzumaki lifetimes left in you."**

Naruto was silent for moment with a faraway look on his face before he regained his composure and gave out a single "Fuck..."

**"Not too excited?" **Kurama inquired, now back on the ground with a few of its tails unconsciously swaying around.

"You may be used to living for a long ass time, but I'm not...I'm tired of seeing people I care about die...I knew I would anyway, but not to this extent...and I figured something like this would happen...but...I don't know..." Naruto said before laying back down and gathering his thoughts with a conflicted expression taking over his visage.

While he sort of expected this, it didn't mean it was any easier to accept. How would anyone feel knowing they would see life generations after their time should've ended? Sure, there were those that wished they can add on more years to enjoy life as much as possible, but this is just a little too much.

He would be forced to see the ties he made in this new life cut after a good number of years while knowing he still had a long way to go. All of his new friend's faces were practically at the forefront of his mind; ageing before him into their elderly years before crumbling up and flying away as if they were merely dust in the wind.

He then figured that he should feel at least somewhat lucky to be able to watch them get old instead of never knowing when tomorrow would be the last...

...as is the life of a shinobi...

Naruto looked back up to his furry companion. "Kurama, there is a couple of things you should know that happened."

**"Now what?" **The fox drawled out.

Naruto just closed his eyes and in an instant they opened to reveal the familiar metallic purple with its black rings around the pupil.

Kurama once again widened its eyes and looked to be trying to figure its next words.

Naruto didn't give Kurama a chance to speak, though, as he repeated his actions, but this time revealed the red eyes that have been a thorn in the fox's side on multiple occasions.

Kurama's eyes narrowed, but were still clearly surprised. The contemplation in the slitted orbs showed that the fox was still trying to gather the proper response.

Minutes passed after Naruto deactivated his doujutsu while he and Kurama continued to stare at each other.

Kurama finally reacted by giving out a loud exaggerated sigh before becoming comfortable again and closing its eyes. **"I should really just expect this kind of shit by now considering it's you."**

Naruto then looked on with an accusing glare. "What's that supposed to mean?"

**"Do you really want me to answer that fishcake?" **Kurama responded while getting a jab in for the bunny ear comment.

Naruto only clicked his tongue in annoyance before settling back down on the hill getting as comfortable as possible. "Whatever."

He knew that while he looked slightly mad, he actually missed the bickering they used to partake in. It was their own little way of getting along and was a big improvement from when they first met with the whole desire to escape on Kurama's part and Naruto's former struggle with the fox's chakra; not to mention the cold emotions between them whenever they interacted.

They've definitely come a long way to now. Hell, before this whole dimension fiasco they even had a few heartfelt conversations that pretty much got rid of any hard feelings...besides the insults that were thrown in once in a while that sometimes made Naruto want to kick the fox in its nonexistent balls...

**"So now what?" **Kurama chided in breaking Naruto from his thoughts.

"Hmm?" Naruto lazily replied.

**"Our greatest enemies are gone, we are in a completely different world apparently, and its been eight damn years; what the hell have you been doing in all of that time? I guess you found people, thank Kami; you could've just landed in a desert or ice world or something and just eventually die, and me with you no less!"**

Naruto looked up to the slow moving clowds gently gliding across the sky with their shadows and uncovered light constantly covering his body. The sight seemed to relax him pretty quickly and nearly derailed the train of thought that was currently traveling through his brain. Maybe Shikamaru wasn't a complete lazyass for nothing?

"That would've sucked..." He mumbled. "You would've eventually reformed in a completely useless world with nothing to do. At least I would've died." He chuckled lightly with only slight humor.

**"Good thing you ended up wherever the hell we are." **Muttered Kurama with a small shudder at the thought of such a isolated world with nothing but the basic environment that went on forever. Sure the fox liked a good share of alone time, but there's a limit to everything; especially the boredom that would surely be present.

"Yup." Naruto said followed by a yawn.

**"You've settled in this dimension nicely?"**

"Yup."

**"Been busy?"**

"Yup."

**"Kept training?"**

"Yuppidy yup."

**"Are you a dumbass?"**

"Nope."

Kurama's eyes rolled. The gaki was paying attention after all.

**"Well, what have you been doing doing in nearly a decade?"**

Naruto yawned again. "Well, I'm actually on my way to where I first dropped in and- shit! That's what I was doing!". Naruto exclaimed as he quickly rose to his feet to face Kurama.

"Sorry, gotta do something outside! Just look through my memories and find out what's been going on and I'll talk to you later!" He was now about to leave when he said, "See ya bunny ears!"

Kurama was about to retort, but Naruto already faded away, causing the fox to grumble.

**"Fishcake son of a bitch..."**

* * *

Naruto's eyes shot open to see the same grey sky as before. He sat up from his position on his back and stood up noticing that the ship wasn't sailing like he left it. This was answered quickly as he saw the ship's bow was now deeply lodged into the icy ground that made up all of the shores.

_'Well, at least I stopped, and there doesn't seem to be any bad damage.' _Naruto thought as he leaped over the front deck and into the snowy ground with a crunch.

He kneeled down and examined where ice met ship before looking at his surroundings. Of course there was nothing but snow on land, but within close proximity of the shores were some glacial formations that Naruto felt were familiar.

_'Okay, let's see...I think we've hunted and fished around here a few times...a few miles north from the village, maybe? That isn't so bad. I guess I could seal the ship and go on foot from here; definitely faster that going back on the sea.'_

Naruto then pulled out a decently sized storage scroll from one of the seals on his arms and opened it before setting it on the ground neatly. The intricate design on the paper was more advanced than the ones on both of his arms as it was meant to hold a much larger quantity of items; things like camping gear, tools, furniture, anything really.

With a quick pulse of chakra and placing a hand on the boat and seal, the deed was done. Naruto rolled the scroll back up before sealing it once again into the designated spot on his arm.

As he had nothing left to do but head back home, Naruto focused his chakra into his legs to set off at a fast pace, but suddenly relented as he felt the pull of chakra that he knew all too well.

_'My Hiraishin kunai? An emergency right now? Weird timing...'_

After pulling the hood over his head and mask to the bridge of his nose, he focused on the chakra signature of the kunai and let out a small breath.

"Might as well make a good entrance." He muttered before vanishing in a flash of yellow. All that was left in his place was the small trail of footprints and the soft howls of the icy wind.

* * *

With another bright flash Naruto found himself in the snowy piece of land that he subconsciously knew as home.

It was just after his feet sunk into the snow that his senses went haywire and he didn't have to wait to see why. The instant his eyes opened to take in the scenery he saw a wave of red flames shooting right towards him.

Taken by surprise he instinctively shot his own short burst of fire to stop it in its tracks. As the two streams met in midair they had a very short battle for dominance and became distorted as they looked to wrap around each other before snuffing out.

As the quick roar created by the flames ceased, numerous glowing embers formed and gently fell towards the ground only to lose their existence when coming in contact with the snowy surface. Some of said snow was actually already manipulated into many spikes of ice floating around the blonde and pointing forward in case whatever threat was present went on the offensive.

All of this happened in the span of a couple of seconds with Naruto completely relying on his instincts honed from years of combat.

Various gasps of shock met Naruto's ears the moment the fiery actions were over. He heard the reactions directly in front and behind him; more so the latter.

With nothing distracting him he was able to gaze at the source of the fire that was bended at him previously.

He immediately drew his eyes to the line of Fire Nation soldiers at the ready with a hint of surprise on the faces of those that weren't covered.

_'What the hell are they doing here?' _Naruto thought as he gazed at the group of about twenty. They were all shoulder to shoulder with enough space between them to actively move around. Half of them were equipped with spears and helmets exposing their faces while the rest wore helmets completely covering their heads and were only armed with their fists indicating they were benders. All of them had the same red armor Naruto has become accustomed to. Behind them was a metal warship with a ramp attached to the ground that seemed to have crashed through the snowy shores and penetrated the wall surrounding the village.

"Fire _and _waterbending?! Impossible! There can't be more than one Avatar!" A voice loudly proclaimed.

Naruto brought his attention to a young man that was standing closer than the other soldiers in the middle. He wore the same armor as the others, but what was unique about him was the large reddened scar surrounding his left eye. Besides the look of outrage on his face, the only other distinguishable characteristic was that the only source of hair on his head was a black ponytail.

"How the hell did I not notice him first?" Naruto muttered while still in battle position and the various spikes of ice continuing to hover around him.

"Who are you and how did you get here?!" Spoke the scarred man as he got in his firebending stance.

Naruto, however, ignored him and turned his head to glance at the village facing his back.

It looked like everyone was gathered and spread around in order to confront the intruders. In the back of the crowd were the elderly and non fighters while at the front were all of the young men and women that he trained armed with various spears and clubs their tribe was known for.

_'My little warriors aren't so little anymore' _thought Naruto as he looked fondly beneath his hood at all of the young adults. They all grew up nicely with their increased height, leaner faces nearly devoid of all baby fat, eyes filled with determination, and what he assumed well trained bodies under their heavy clothes.

In the middle, though, were two faces he was especially excited to see. There stood Katara and Sokka in their matured forms ready for anything; Sokka with a club in hand and some warpaint on his face, and Katara with her knees bent and hands out to bend water at any moment. They definitely grew in height with Sokka still being taller than Katara, but she seemed to actually match Kya now. Their faces like the others were leaner and more mature, while their hair was in the same style with the only difference being that Katara's single long braid was now let loose and her dark brown locks sprawled across her upper back. Of course she also kept the hair loopies that have always been there.

Naruto then noticed that they, along with everyone else, had obvious traces of joy on their visages, but were overpowered by the seriousness of the situation. It wasn't until he scanned the group again that he noticed that behind Katara and Sokka was a young man slightly peeking to see what was going on. It was obvious he wasn't from the tribe or Fire Nation as he had light skin and wore orange and yellow clothing with reddish brown boots. A brown staff was in his hand and a blue arrow tattooed on his bald head and each hand.

_'Wait...arrow...staff...robes...is he-'_

"Answer me!" The scarred man repeated.

Naruto faced him again and saw that the man now had knives entirely made of fire sticking out from his closed fists.

A small moment of silence passed with everyone in the area becoming tense and fidgety where they stood. A small breeze was able to be heard and the man seemed to be getting ready to yell again, but Naruto cut him off.

"It's impolite to ask for someone's name without giving yours first, scarface." The blonde simply said and was heard by everyone.

"Scarface" snarled and looked to be struggling with his temper. "Zuko." He angrily let out through clenched teeth. "Now who are you?!" The now identified Zuko yelled with the fire in his hands extending in length seemingly responding to his anger.

"Well someone needs a hug..." Naruto quietly said to himself before making a response. "Who I am and how I'm here isn't important," he started, "What is important is why the hell are you here?" He finished calmy, but with an angry edge to it.

"I'm here to capture the Avatar; the airbender these people are protecting!" Naruto's shadowed brows rose at the confirmation of his suspicious.

"But now..." Zuko sternly began, "It seems as though I might have mistaken considering you just bended fire and are still bending water. The Avatar is supposed to be an airbender, but with you here I'm not sure what to think anymore...but I do know that whether you're actually the Avatar or not, with your abilities shown you are both threats that need to be taken care of."

Everyone tensed further and started to become a bit restless.

"So if you don't want this village burned to the ground, you and the airbender will be coming to the Fire Nation with me." Zuko said with finality.

"Uhhh...how about no? I still got shit to do and being a prisoner isn't exactly one of the things on my list." Naruto said without much care and broke a bit of the serious atmosphere.

Zuko seemed to only become angrier. "I wasn't asking you-"

"Wait Prince Zuko!" One of the spearman exclaimed while looking intently at Naruto.

"What is it?!" Zuko yelled as he turned to the grunt that interrupted him.

"The mask..." He meekly said while shakily pointing to said object.

"What about it?!" Zuko demanded.

"The Southern Raiders..." The spearman muttered with a bead of sweat now going down his forehead.

Zuko didn't seem to follow for a few seconds before recognition suddenly sprang up in his eyes and snapped his head back towards Naruto cautiously.

"All the ships destroyed...a quarter of the forces dead...the rest forced to retire from injuries or mental instability...that was you?" Zuko quietly asked trying with the best of his ability to stay calm while his muscles tensed.

Now all the Fire Nation soldiers were really starting to worry. The destruction of their best navy force caused a lot of shock to spread throughout their nation. Stories of a single man with the abilities to replicate himself and control gravity were told from the badly burned survivors with a quivering fear in their eyes. Of course it was hard to believe since they were thought to be a bit mentally unstable, but with multiple counts of the same story, no one really knew what to make of it.

The most intriguing thing, though, was that when the soldiers spoke of his eyes, they were almost too shaken up to say anything. It took some time, but they eventually found out that the attacker supposedly had glowing purple eyes with black rings that radiated complete power; even going as far as being godly.

Once that bit of information got out it became a myth of sorts. After a few months parents even came up with the story of the "Purple-eyed Demon" to make sure their children behaved. The basic concept was that if you misbehave or disobey your parents, you'll be taken away in the middle of the night and the only thing you would see would be those deathy purple eyes.

The funny thing about that is that it actually worked.

"Maybe it was me, maybe it wasn't. Would you like to find out?" Naruto replied calmly while taking in the information. A quarter dead?...Well, at least it wasn't a complete massacre like he previously thought; still...the lingering guilt after everything calmed down those years ago was still there...Fire Nation soldiers were people too...even if they were assholes...

"Just come with us calmy and there won't be a need for any fighting." Zuko offered while staring daggers at Naruto and slowly getting into his preferred firebending stance.

Naruto stayed silent along with everyone present as he simply stared back at the scarred prince. The tension in the air was nearly unbearable and was slowly driving them all mad waiting for the slightest movement to set everything off. After an unknown amount of time, Naruto let out a big tired sigh. "Look," he started, "I've had a long ass day and I just want to spend the rest of it in peace. While a fight sounds fun to break my boredom, I'm not really in the mood, so you either leave or I send you back to your country in body bags." He said with a hint of firm annoyance.

Zuko looked to either retort verbally or violently but wasn't able to get that far as the spikes of ice instantaneously found their sharp ends pointing directly towards his and the other soldier's necks a few mere inches away.

With their bodies now still and breath held in they all focused back at the hooded figure to see his right arm stretched out and fingers unclenched waiting for the command to control the ice.

"Final warning." Naruto said in an icy tone...no pun intended.

Zuko, with complete rage in his eyes and jaw clenched, was nearly shaking where he stood.

With no trace of escape and retalliation in mind he ever so slowly and barely noticeably nodded with the greatest of reluctance.

As Naruto pulled back the spikes around his person still at the ready, all the soldiers mentally sighed in relief.

One by one they started to walk up the ramp back into the ship with clanky steps and their leader following last. As they were all at the top waiting for the ramp to reattach itself, they all turned around one last time.

"This isn't over." Zuko simply remarked challengingly while glaring once again at Naruto.

Naruto, with the spikes of ice now turned back to snow on the ground, seemed to have heard him as he replied "Didn't expect it to be." With chakra projecting his voice towards the intruders, he made sure they all heard it.

Just as the ramp was about to close, Naruto gave them all one last glare as his hidden eyes slowly glowed the horrendous purple that they've only come to know in stories.

Simultaneously they all flinched and took a step back before the ramp went back into position with a loud _Clank._

It was a mere few moments later that the ship started to protrude smoke into the cold air before it set off into the open blue showing all the damage it left behind outside the village.

Naruto kept his eyes on it until it was nearly completely out of sight as it continued off into the horizon.

When he finally dubbed them gone for now, he exhaled slowly before crossing his arms, deactivating his doujutsu, and finally relaxed his body. "Well...it had to happen some time...and now is as good as any time I guess...I was getting really bored anyways." Naruto calmly said to himself as he continued to lazily face forward.

Before he knew it, multiple hurried footsteps as if from a stampede in the crunchy snow were heading right for him.

He knew he wasn't in danger and slowly glanced over his left shoulder already knowing to expect. What he didn't expect, though, was the massive tackle he received from a blur of brown and blue.

Him and his attacker found themselves skidding a few feet into the snow leaving behind a noticeable trail in their wake.

With Naruto now on his back and globs of snow covering his body, he slowly looked down to his chest to see his aggressor who was straddling him and holding onto his torso for dear life.

It was the next instant that his vision met the glistening blue orbs that held so much life and innocence that he was proud to watch grow up over the years. The matured face that held the eyes had a massive smille of utter joy that looked impossible to break anytime soon.

"Now look at the water princess all grown up." He muttered in amusement as he saw Katara's face somehow became even more happy as her chin was rested firmly on his chest.

She slightly opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted as the unique sound of Sokka's voice rang out.

"Dog pile!" He exclaimed with childish excitement as he was about to reach the two on the ground along with everyone else behind him.

As Katara looked at the incoming crowd her eyes widened before she desperately rolled a good few feet away after letting go of Naruto.

The hooded blonde didn't bother to move from his now sitting position on the snowy surface as he looked on at the crowd of young adults who instantly turned into excited children once again merely from his presence.

"Oh shi- oof!" He let out as Sokka, followed by others, landed on him one by one making their pile bigger and bigger.

Muffled yells and laughter rang out at different parts of the warrior bundle as they all tried to come into contact with their dear friend.

Naruto, even with all of his shinobi might, couldn't seem to escape his human prison, so he did the only thing could do at the moment.

A bright flash of yellow exploded within the pile before they all seemed to sink further into the ground.

Confusion entered their minds before their attention was brought to heavy breaths being taken behind them. As they all turned to the source they saw a still hood and mask-covered Naruto bent over with his hands on his knees inhaling the heavenly oxygen which was now graciously allowed to enter his hungry lungs.

With the almost forgotten tri-pronged kunai he used to first get there now grasped in his right hand, they all understood he used his signature teleporting technique to escape their grasp.

"I swear everyone is trying to kill me..." Naruto muttered as he continued to recover his breath. With a small moment to recover he stood up straight, cleared his throat, and waved the hand with the kunai still grasped at them.

"Yo." He simply said to the young warriors as they were getting on their feet.

He watched as they rushed to get up and, more calmly this time, make their way towards him.

As they were about to reach him he felt a few taps on his shoulder from behind. Not surprised in the least he turned around and saw the smiling faces of Kya and Kanna with the rest of the village close behind them.

"You took your sweet time, didn't you?" Kya said with her eyes looking about to burst into tears.

"Well...being on the other side of the world and fighting tends to take up a bit of my schedule." He responded with a hidden smile forming.

"That may be, but I'm not getting any younger, whiskers." Kanna said with a very small wrinkled smirk.

Naruto looked at her blankly. "Love you too Gran Gran."

Kya and Kanna let out a small laugh at that with a few others joining all around them. This brought their attention to the now arrived warriors behind Naruto.

"Well then..." Naruto said before turning and taking a step back. As his shoulders were facing each group he quickly pulled the hood and mask off revealing his famous spiky blonde hair, ocean blue eyes, whisker marks on his lean face, and a blinding foxy grin.

He then opened his arms wide open and looked back and forth expectedly from Kya and Kanna to Katara and Sokka. "A proper hug this time?"

Without a second thought they wrapped each other in a tight embrace and just enjoyed the warmth both emotionally and physically.

Once they all got their fill they stepped back and simply smiled at each other for a moment. "You certainly haven't changed a bit, haven't you Naruto?" Kya asked breaking the silence.

Once the words left the lips of the Water Tribe mother, Kurama's discovery quickly entered Naruto's mind.

"About that..." Naruto said and was about to continue but was suddenly cut off by a deep animal-like groaning behind him.

He turned around only to lay his eyes upon a giant bison completely covered with white fur, the only exception being the brown fur that was striped horizontally on its back and a perfectly shaped arrow on its head. The only other noticeable features left were the saddle attached to its back, a big nose, its six limbs, and two pointy horns.

"Uhhhh..." Naruto sounded as he stood confused. "What's a giant bison doing here?" Naruto asked in monotone with his index finger pointed towards said bison.

That was when he saw the same young man from before gently petting the side of the beast's head with a patient and confused look on his face.

_'Oh' _Naruto thought after making the connection.

After a few moments of thinking to himself, Naruto started to make a calm stride towards the bald boy.

Naruto noticed that the newcomer immediately took notice of him and actually started to walk towards him seeming to meet him half way.

Once they were right in front of each other near the damaged snow wall, neither really knew what to say. A simple staredown followed but was broken by the blonde shinobi.

Figuring that since the young airbender was technically a non hostile guest and seemingly calm, Naruto held out his gloved hand and gave his trademark grin.

"Glad to see someone finally appreciates the holy color of orange! I'm Naruto; what's your name arrowhead?"

The young man seemed to look a little lost before a hint of mirth emerged in his eyes and a big grin of his own formed on his face as he eagerly grasped the welcoming hand and gave an excited shake.

"I'm Aang!"

**Chapter End**

**AN: Uhhhh...hi there...I didn't take **_**that **_**long, right?...right?...shit...sorry guys. I know at the beginning I updated pretty rapidly, but sometimes life gives a good kick to the balls which in this case is life.**

**I kinda started college a little bit after the last update and that has only added a bunch of shit to my schedule, but whatever...I hope you guys didn't suffer too much since this could be happening a lot from now on.**

**Speaking of you guys...holy shit...the last chapter I was happy that we reached over 300 favs and follows, but now that shit has pretty much doubled! Even the reviews! I know that some people are used to seeing that, I kinda was too, but then one day I thought what if we were all in one big room in person?...gives a sense of reality, doesn't it?**

**I also believe I reached a milestone that I was waiting for! I got a flamer review! There was just insults, no reasoning, proper thought, or anything beneficial to me or the world whatsoever! I feel like I belong here now!**

**Which also brings me to this important public service announcement (PSA):**

**Give a hug to your local flamer...and together...we can make a difference...*sniff*...**

**I would also like to thank those who reviewed whether it be simple words of encouragement or the few cases of constructive criticism, which I appreciate by the way. If I suck, then let me know!...but professionally...which kinda brings me to another point; if there are things that don't make sense or plot holes left unfilled, I'm sorry if it doesn't work for you, but I'm pretty sure I'm not going to change anything. You are free to PM me if you really need to understand something or just to simply talk...whatever floats your boat...or warship...**

**Well, I guess that's it for now you beautiful people! Oh, and this is my longest chapter of 9,000 words! WOO!**

**Stay classy and see you at some point in the future!**

**Later!**


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